


Paper Crowns -- OLD VERSION

by thallo (aurai)



Series: War of Misunderstandings -- Original [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Cardtalia, Cardverse, Human Names Used, Multi, Omegaverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 16:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10416399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurai/pseuds/thallo
Summary: On a tour in England, Alfred F Jones happens across an ancient church that no one else can see. When he walks through the doors, he accidentally ends up in Cards! What will he do, there, when the rules have been changed and Spades is heading for war? And how is he supposed to handle these unfamiliar new senses? The Queen of Spades, Arthur Kirkland, promised to help him... but Alfred can’t help but feel that he’s in way over his head.THIS STORY IS BEING REWRITTEN. THE NEW VERSION IS CALLED PAPER COURT.





	1. Somewhere Over the Atlantic Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> Main Pairing: USUK  
> Side Pairings: RoChu, Gerita, Franada, brief Spamano, brief Giripan  
> This story is being rewritten. There are many problems that you may notice. I ask that you kindly ignore them and know that the rewrite will be much improved.  
> I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

Alfred sighed as he leaned his head back against the headrest. His neck and shoulders were quite sore and his legs were cramped - there was not enough space for him at all. Planes were so uncomfortable -however, it wouldn't be too long until they arrived. 

Alfred was on his way to England - he was going on a trip for school, but for the first three days the students were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Alfred had signed up for the optional tour around London. He was pretty excited.

At the moment, however, he really had to go to the bathroom.

They touched down in London. Alfred and his six other classmates, along with their professor and a chaperone. Their professor was called Mrs. Violet. The chaperone was Mrs. Violet’s wife. Alfred still wasn’t used to seeing lovey-dovey affections in public. Or maybe it was just because he’d never actually seen a lesbian couple before. Whatever the case, he was mildly uncomfortable, and one glance at his classmates told him they were feeling the same way.

“Professor Violet?” Alfred spoke up, always the brash one. “How were we getting to the city again?”

Mrs. Violet smiled at the kids. “When we’re here, you can just call me Violet. Kay? We’ll all have lots of fun. There’s a coach bus scheduled to pick us up in just a few minutes. After that, it’ll be a two hour drive to the first site.”

“In the meantime,” Violet’s wife, Garnet, spoke up. “Why don’t you kids all find a quick somethin’ to eat? We’ll be goin’ straight to the tour and won’t get back to the hotel until later.”

Alfred set off on his own, hands in his pockets as the others discussed where to go. He stopped at a Subway inside the airport and grabbed a quick sandwich and pop. He sat at one of the tall tables, just relaxing.

When he saw the other students heading back, he hopped down from his stool and followed them to where Violet and Garnet were waiting. They herded the kids onto the coach bus. Alfred settled himself in the back, by a window, and plugged his headphones in. He wasn’t feeling particularly social that day. Not enough to go situate himself with the group of classmates he barely knew the names of. He had tried to convince one of his friends to go with him, but none had been able to. 

Alfred fell asleep before they arrived at the city. He didn’t see the message he got on his phone - from Matthew - in fact, he accidentally deleted it when he dropped his phone. He was shaken awake by one of the girls. She smiled giddily down at him. “C’mon, Alfie, we’re here!” She seemed keen to wait on him.

Alfie?

“Oh...” Alfred said. “Guess I fell asleep.” the girl giggled. Alfred grabbed his bag and his phone off the floor, groaning at his sore shoulders and neck. Walking today would be murder.

Alfred stood, stretching. “Where’re all the others, exactly?”

“Oh, they went ahead,” the girl said, blushing slightly. “I said I’d wake you up.”

“Ah.” Alfred said, examining her. “You’re... Carly?”

“Katie,” the girl corrected. “Don’t worry. Carly and I look a lot alike and you don’t know me very well! But, um...” Katie looked down, twisting her foot around. “I’d kinda like to get to know you more,” she said softly.

“Come on,” Alfred said, offering her his hand with a grin. “Maybe we’ll be partners.”

Katie’s eyes lit up. She took his hand and Alfred led her out of the bus.

Violet was giving the others instructions when they arrived. “Make sure none of you wander off into any restricted areas. Please stay on this street - there are plenty of buildings to explore. Try to stay with a partner at all times. It looks like one of the groups will have to be a group of three. Otherwise, meet me and Garnet back here in three hours, okay? If there are any problems, we’ve all exchanged cell numbers.”

“Katie!” another girl screamed. True to Katie’s word, Carly did look a lot like her. “We’re partners. Kay? Kay. Oh, hey Alfred!” Katie gave Alfred an apologetic look as she was dragged off by her friend.”

Alfred gazed down the street. There were quite a few interesting looking places around. But one in particular caught his eye - a huge, ancient building. It looked like a church. 

He headed towards it, barely aware that he had even made the decision to start moving. Hadn’t he planned to find a group? See what the options were before choosing where to go? But this place - it looked so mysterious, Alfred just had to find out what was in there.

The doors were slightly ajar, and heavy. He slipped through them and off of the street. As soon as he entered the small room, all noise faded from outside. There was complete silence.

Alfred was disappointed at first - he was expecting a huge building decorated with marble and pillars and such. But as he looked around the room, he saw another door, off to the side and in the shadows that he hadn’t noticed before. Excited, he went through it and found himself in a huge chamber.

Light filtered in from numerous small, high windows. The silence was even more absolute here, thick and somehow peaceful. Most everything there was covered in a thin layer of dust. And it was definitely an old cathedral.

On the other side of the room, a cut out of the wall revealed a staircase leading upwards. Light entered the room from there too, though Alfred saw no windows in the walls of the stairway.

He went up. And up. And up. 

After he got up the staircase, he found an empty, stone lined room with wide oak doors on the other side. He had come this far - Alfred went to examine them. In the stone before the doors, and in the frame all around, there were carved symbols, strange ones that Alfred had never come across before.

He rested a hand on one of the tall, tall doors. It was solid, he could tell, and heavy. Heavier than the doors leading into the building. He pushed a little. The door moved. 

He put both hands on the door and shoved. He slipped into the room, shutting the door behind him. As it shut, he swooned, feeling dizzy, but shook it off fairly quickly. He was disappointed - the room was once again, completely empty except for a small door on the other side. 

But wait - there were windows! Had Alfred really traveled to another side of the place already? The windows were strange - they were tiny, and not covered with glass - the air in this room was cool. He looked out of one of the windows. 

He was much higher up than he should have been, unless the back of the street fell off into a cliff, which he was fairly certain that it didn’t. Alfred backed away from the small window and turned to go back. 

But the doors were gone.

He wondered if they were disguised doors, painted to look like there was nothing but wall there - an escape route, perhaps? But as he shoved against where the doors used to be, he knew... this wall was nothing but solid stone, and there was no way he was getting through it.

Alfred was completely baffled. How could such large, solid doors be there one moment and gone the next? It didn’t make any sense. Unless it had something to do with his dizzy spell - but that didn’t make much sense either.

He tried the other door, and it was unlocked. It led to a narrow staircase leading down, so Alfred went down it, trying not to feel claustrophobic as his tall frame barely fit into the tunnel. The door leading out looked the same as the one above it. Alfred pushed through - and into an entirely different section of the church.

Alfred wondered if this was why some places were off limits - was it because they were turning the church into a hotel? They’d been doing that with plenty of old castles lately - and this place had old fashioned lamps on the walls, a long carpet lining the center of the floor, paintings on the walls - why they had gas lamps instead of lights Alfred had no idea. Maybe they were trying to make it authentic? He hoped there’d be someone here who could help him back to the older section. 

Suddenly, Alfred caught a sharp, clean scent in his nose. He sniffed, breathing it in... it was heavenly. It affected him in strange ways - suddenly, he felt strangely possessive, powerful... he wanted to dominate. What, he wasn’t sure, but the feeling was there... 

Just as abruptly, the scent began fading away. Alfred shook his head. “Pull yourself together, man,” he muttered. That was strange. Did they have some sort of awful drug here that made people feel weird? Alfred wanted to get out of this place.

Alfred went to pull out his phone and call Violet... but then he realized. His bag and his phone were no longer with him. He had had them before he went through the doors, but not after. Now Alfred was really starting to freak out.

Then the sweet scent came back. But it was accompanied by another one, a ...softer one, almost. It did things to Alfred’s body that he would be ashamed of if he was thinking straight. And when the two people rounded the corner, he didn’t even think. He was on top of the soft one before you could say Alfred, pinning him against the wall. He nuzzled into the boy’s neck, completely giving in to instinct. 

The guy’s companion grabbed him by the hair and dragged him away. Alfred cried out painfully as his head was slammed against the opposite wall by a small asian man. 

“Yao!” the other man called. “Do not kill him.”

The man holding Alfred hesitated. Alfred twisted out of his grip and backed away, tripping onto his back. He rose a hand to his head, where a bit of blood trickled down. 

“Okay, so maybe I deserved that one,” he said. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me, I just - could either of you possibly direct me back to my friends? We’re on a tour, and I split off from them and kind of ended up here. I’m really sorry about... what just happened, I-”

Alfred looked up, seeing the other two clearly for the first time. The smaller one, the asian one, was wearing strange blue robes, and the soft one was wearing an old English style waistcoat and a trench coat. All shades of blue. That was kind of weird. They were looking down at him suspiciously.

“You are from the other world,” The soft one said.

“Okay, I really have to stop referring to you as ‘the soft one’ in my head, so could you tell me your name?” Alfred said. He decided to ignore the strange clothes for now.

The man puffed himself up. “Soft? Who are you calling soft?”

Alfred shook his head tiredly. “No it’s... your scent? That’s weird, how’d I know that it was your scent... but it’s soft, sort of. His kinda reminds me of rain. Or fall. It’s really crisp and clear. Yours is softer. Like old, faded spices or something.”

Yao looked at the other. “It reminds me of tea,” he said. His asian accent was strong. 

“I am Arthur,” the soft one said. “Queen of Spades. Who are you?”

Alfred shook his head again. “Wait - Queen? But you’re not a girl.” 

Arthur glared down at Alfred. “I am perfectly aware of what gender I am, stranger. It is simply a political position.”

“Oh.” Alfred said. “If you say so. My name’s Alfred. Alfred F Jones.”

Then all of what Arthur had said clicked in.

“Wait - Queen of Spades? I’ve never heard of Spades before. It is like a micronation?”

“No,” Arthur said curtly. “It is a country. Count yourself lucky that I’m not leaving you to rot in prison. I am going to help you.”

“Your Highness -” Yao said.

“That is enough,” he interrupted. “Alfred. Come with me. You have much to learn.”

They left Yao behind as Arthur brought Alfred through twists and turns until he was completely lost. Then Arthur opened a door, out into a deserted courtyard full of gardens and bright flowers. They sat in chairs overlooking the countryside.

“Alfred.” Arthur spoke softly, his voice nearly carried away by the wind. “You need to understand something.”

“Uh huh?” Alfred said.

“Do not interrupt,” Arthur glared. “You can save questions for the end. I just... I do not even know how to begin this...”

Alfred waited in silence until Arthur gathered his thoughts.

“You are no longer in your own world.”

“How is that-”

“I said do not interrupt!” Arthur said, eyes flashing. Alfred became defiant. Who was this omega to tell him what to do - wait, omega? What the crap was an omega?

“Arthur, what’s an omega?”

Arthur blinked, surprised. “You know about those?”

“No, not really, just -”

“I will explain that when we get to it,” Arthur said, brushing it off. “Just listen. You are not in your world anymore. You are in Cards. I do not know how. Or how you got into the castle. But... here things are different than in your world. That much I know.”

Alfred nodded, trying to refrain from asking all of the questions bubbling to his mouth. It was difficult.

“Spades is my kingdom. There are four countries. Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs.”

“Wait - hold up,” Alfred said. “Four countries - Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs? That’s it?”

“Yes. There is also the places where the Jokers go, but no one knows where that is. Or how to get there.”

“Jokers too?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re the Queen of Spades. Is there a King?”

Arthur hesitated. “Usually, there is a King and Queen for every country, along with a Jack. However, out King died, and we have not been able to find a suitable one since.”

Alfred was surprised. Was this a dream? “This is exactly like a deck of cards.”

“What?”

“In my world, we have a game we can play - well several games, that all use the same thing. It’s a deck of cards - flat little rectangles of paper. And there’s four different types - Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. And in every type, there’s a King, a Queen, a Jack, and an Ace, and all of the numbers. And there’s Jokers too.”

Arthur nodded. “Whoever made those things must have been here once.”

“Once? Like they got back?”

Arthur eyed him. “Possibly.”

Alfred rubbed his head. The cut had long since dried up, but he felt terribly sticky. “So Cards is this world where you live. And there’s four countries. And no way for me to get home.”

“Well, there should be. There is a legend about a pair of ancient oaken doors, carved with sigils - ancient magic - that-”

“I saw those doors!” Alfred said excitedly. “That’s how I got here! I went through them and ended up in a really high tower, near that door where you found me.”

“That is your ticket back, then.” Arthur said.

Alfred hesitated. “When I was still up there, I tried to go back. The doors were gone.”

“What?” Arthur seemed so upset he stood up. “They moved?”

“Yeah.”

He scowled. “The only reason they would ever move would be if someone else came through. The doors were in Hearts before you came. But... two in one day? The last person who came through was a good sixty years ago.”

“I didn’t see anyone following me, either,” Alfred added, trying to be helpful. 

Arthur moaned, sending chills through Alfred’s spine. “This could not have come at a worse time.”

“What do you mean?”

Arthur sighed, sitting down again. “Cards is on the brink of war. Spades is desperately searching for a King. It is only a matter of time before we’re attacked. Every day Clubs retreats farther and farther into itself - they are acting suspicious. Diamonds too - though I suppose I never really trusted Diamonds anyways. Bloody frog,” he added under his breath.

Alfred suddenly clamped his hands over his nose as the wind started up. Arthur looked at him curiously. 

“It- your scent -” Alfred said, blushing. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know why it affects me so much! I’ve never met anyone that smelled as strongly as you and your friend - not in a bad way, I mean,” he added hurriedly.

For some odd reason, Arthur blushed. “Oh, erm... I can explain that.”

“Can you?” Alfred asked desperately.

“I did not realize that it was not the same in your world. But here, we have... a sort of caste system. But it’s not according to wealth. It doesn’t necessarily affect anything except a person personally. But the caste system goes like this: Alpha, Beta, Omega. That was why I was surprised you knew about omegas.”

Alfred’s brain slowly processed this new information. “But what does that have to do with -”

Arthur blushed even darker. “Bollocks - It is a bit difficult to have to explain it, I do not know how parents manage with their kids. But, erm. It is like, here, we have this primal part of us, like wolves or whatever animals do this. And alphas are the dominant ones, omegas are the submissive ones. Betas are somewhere in between. Some alphas are more alpha than others, some omegas are more omega. The betas can vary, more alpha, more omega, or right in the middle. Betas are the most commonly misclassified. But judging by how you have been... acting,” here Arthur swallowed. “I would say you’re an alpha.”

Alfred was startled to learn this new information, but he definitely wasn’t surprised at which one he was. Of course he was the dominant one - he was the hero, right?

“The caste system basically helps us, erm, mate,” Arthur informed him. “Alphas are most commonly paired with omegas, but betas can pair with either. There’s a bunch of rules and everything. Social expectations, I suppose.”

“Oh.” Alfred’s own face was beginning to heat up. He could practically smell the embarrassment coming off of Arthur.

“Your Highness,” a voice said. Yao had returned. 

“Yao,” Arthur sighed. “Finally.”

Yao smirked. “Your face is as red as a fresh heart leaf, your Highness,” he teased. “Come. There is business to attend to.”

“Alfred,” Arthur said. “This is Yao, the Jack of Spades. For now, you should find Li Xiao. He will help you around. I will expect to see you at dinner. Tell Li Xiao to find you some proper clothing... so you do not stand out too much.”

With that, Arthur and Yao left. 

How the heck was Alfred supposed to find this Li Xiao?

He wandered back down into the castle. The first person he came across was an omega girl that smelled like daisies. “Excuse me,” he said. The girl blinked at him. 

“Hey, do you know where I could find Li Xiao? Only your Queen Arthur or something told me to look for him.”

The girl looked startled.

“It’s a long story,” Alfred said.

“Li Xiao is this way,” the girl said. She was asian too. “I am Lien Chung.”

“Oh,” Alfred said. He didn’t know what else to say.

When they arrived at a certain room, Lien gestured to the door. “Li Xiao is here,” she said. Then, “I must leave now. I have business.” She scurried away.

Alfred knocked on the door. The person inside quickly responded. He looked as startled as Lien had. 

“Hello, my name is Alfred,” he began. “Arthur told me to find you. I came from another world and I’m kind of confused. And I’m supposed to find suitable clothes before dinner tonight. Or something.”

Li Xiao nodded. He didn’t even question it. “Come inside.” 

Li Xiao’s room was simple, but had a touch of asian influence. Alfred could tell. The man walked through another door and came back holding a number of clothing items folded over his arms. Every single one was some shade of blue.

“I have a question,” Alfred said as he accepted the clothes. “How come everything you wear is blue? Is it a royalty thing, like only the royal people are allowed to wear this colour?”

“No,” Li Xiao said. “We do not have those sort of petty privileges. Usually. However, each country here has their own signature colour. It is a part of how we identify people we do not know. And, I suppose, it gives us a sense of pride.”

“So Spades is blue,” Alfred nodded. 

Li Xiao got his hint. “Spades is blue, yes, and sometimes a bit of purple. Hearts is red,” he said. “It is a bit obvious. Diamonds is gold, but they all wear varying shades of yellow and orange. Clubs is green.”

“Huh,” Alfred said, lifting the clothes up so he could see them. There was a light, light blue button up shirt, along with a darker vest and a long sort of trench coat. His pants matched his tie. There was a tie!

“These clothes are kind of like they’re from old England,” Alfred mused. “Arthur was wearing stuff like that too... but Yao wasn’t. It’s like a mix of completely different cultures here.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Alfred needed a bit of help figuring out the vest, but he got it eventually. He even tied the tie correctly. As he fingered his clothes, he noticed the two decorative spades just over halfway down the side of the coat.

“Come,” Li Xiao said. “I will clean your injury.”

“Huh? Oh...” Alfred said, feeling his forehead with his fingers. 

“Do not touch!” Li Xiao scolded, slapping his hand away. “You will get an infection. Infections are not good for the brain.”

Alfred fiddled his hands, not liking being told what to do. It was strange - he wasn’t usually quite this rebellious. But apparently, being an alpha brought that out of him.

It was still strange to think that, just a short while ago, he had still been in England, flirting with pretty girls and thinking about homework. Now he had to worry about a kingdom without a king and controlling his primal urges. He hadn’t thought about it too deeply until now. He wasn’t on Earth. He didn’t know how to get back. Alfred thought about Professor Violet - would she get in trouble for his mistake? And Matthew... oh, Mattie would be terrified.

“What is wrong?” Li Xiao asked. Alfred was pulled back to reality. A single tear was traveling down his cheek as the man rubbed his head with a washcloth, removing the dried blood. Alfred quickly wiped it away, displacing his glasses.

“Nothing,” Alfred said. “I’m not crying.”

“I can smell your grief,” Li Xiao said. “Do you wish to talk about it?”

Alfred shrugged in a small way. “I’m just thinkin’ about where I came from. My brother’s probably gonna be really worried when he finds out I’m missing. If I can’t get back to him... We haven’t always had the closest relationship, we live in different countries, but still. He’ll be heartbroken.”

Li Xiao nodded. “I am sure his Highness has asked Lord Yao to find a way to get you home. Yao is an expert in magic.”

“Magic?” Alfred spluttered. “I have to worry about magic too, now?”

Li Xiao frowned. “You do not have to worry about it,” he said pointedly. “Come. I am sure that they are preparing for dinner now and you do not want to be late if his Highness has requested you.”

Li Xiao escorted Alfred to the dining room - and indeed that was what it felt like, because Li Xiao was stiff and formal and only talked if Alfred asked a question. After a little while Alfred gave up trying. 

Arthur and Yao were already in the dining room, heads together over a table and discussing things softly. Alfred narrowed his eyes. Were Arthur and Yao...

Arthur looked up then, noticing Alfred. “Alfred,” he said. “You look sufficiently...”

“Blue?” Alfred joked, trying to cover up his earlier emotions. “Yeah, Li Xiao helped me with the whole clothes situation.” he adjusted his vest. “It’s kinda different than I’m used to.”

“I am sure,” Arthur said curtly. “Over dinner, we will discuss your situation in more depth. You must excuse me.”

Yao was rolling up some of the papers the two had been studying. He gave Alfred a suspicious look before disappearing through a back door. Arthur hung the lamp they were using back on the wall, sighing. A hand went to the back of his neck and he rubbed it unconsciously. Abruptly, Arthur turned and exited the same door Yao had.

Alfred was left alone in the dining room.


	2. The Castle of Spades (pt 1)

Dinner was exhausting, but satisfying. Alfred was a regular chatterbox, asking about everything and everyone. Arthur hadn’t gotten into politics yet, but Yao had helped him explain more about how Alfred had gotten here and how to get used to his new alpha senses.

To be honest, Alfred didn’t exactly radiate masculinity like some alphas did. He was an alpha, for sure, but in a more quiet way. A different way. He wasn’t all out dominant. True, when he had Arthur pinned he was quite intimidating, but that was when he had never had any experience with the scents at all.

Arthur’s eyes fluttered closed and his mind slipped back to that moment. The one when he had found himself completely at Alfred’s mercy. It wasn’t often that Arthur was caught off guard, especially not by any alpha. But Alfred had moved so fast and he was so strong, pushing Arthur up like that, breathing him in -

Arthur sat up abruptly. He would not think like that. Ever since he had been classified as an omega, he had been determined not to mate. Ever. It wasn’t worth the risk. He didn’t want to find a partner who would get bored with him and leave him to rot away and die. He had only slipped up once. And he didn’t intend to do it again.

But Alfred... Alfred was dangerous. Arthur was going to have problems with him.

After dinner, Arthur had tried to work with Yao on a way to get Alfred home - but he had nearly fallen asleep on his books. Yao sent him to bed and went back to continue his research. Now that Arthur lay in his bed, however, he simply couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was buzzing. He had too many thoughts running around.

“Bollocks,” he muttered, rolling off of the bed. Arthur paced around his room for a few minutes, trying to relax. He caught sight of his useless spade clock on a shelf - only, it wasn’t quite useless anymore.

Arthur approached it, unbelieving. For months, almost two years, it and all other spade clocks Arthur had laid eyes on had been moving slowly, randomly - roaming around their surroundings, unable to work without a proper King. Now, the hands of the clocks pointed directly, unmoving. One pointed straight at Arthur’s own body. The other...

“Yao!” Arthur yelled, running haphazardly out of the door and down to the library. “Yao -”

Yao looked up immediately, worried. “What is it?” He demanded. Arthur couldn’t speak, out of breath. He held up his spade clock, blushing. He realized that he had run out of his room in only a nightshirt. True, it did fall past his knees, but the top two buttons were open, his hair was mussed - he was a mess.

Yao ignored all of that. He stood, reaching out for the chain the clock was hooked on.

“We will follow it,” he stated. And follow it Yao did. He walked briskly. 

“Yao -”

He held a hand out, stopping Arthur. They had paused outside of the guest wing.

“Yao, we did not induct anyone! It has to be malfunctioning!”

“No,” Yao said. “It is not malfunctioning, however undesirable it’s choice may be.”

“What?” Arthur asked. He looked down at the spade clock again, following the arrow, and realized...

“That is Alfred’s room,” Arthur said.

“Indeed.”

“But - but Alfred cannot be King!”

“Hush,” Yao said. “I do not like it. Should we kill him?”

“No!” Arthur said. “That would not solve anything. It took a good three years for the clock to choose him. It wouldn’t do any good to be Kingless for another three.”

“Having Alfred as King would be no better - no, it would be worse than being Kingless.” Yao said. “He knows nothing of our laws, our social expectations, our histories. Teaching him all of that in the time we have would be impossible. You yourself have been learning most of your life.”

Arthur didn’t answer.

“Besides, Alfred is not from this world,” Yao said. “Perhaps the clock would choose someone from this world. Or we could find someone suitable before the clock does.”

Arthur stared down at the clock. He didn’t move.

Could he really kill Alfred? Alfred, who seemed more like a puppy than a threat? Alfred, whose eyes showed that he might be more intelligent than most would think? Arthur thought he had a chance. And that he might be good for the Kingdom in Spades in ways no one would expect.

“I think we should keep him,” Arthur said quietly.

“It would not be wise,” Yao warned.

“You do not know him!” Arthur whispered furiously. “I think he could be a good King. We would need to help him, yes. But -”

“And when he goes back to his own land?” Yao interrupted smoothly.

Arthur paled a bit. “Then we will find someone else.”

Yao was clearly frustrated. “Arthur. You are not thinking clearly. You are biased for him because you have bonded to him! You need -”

“What did you just say?” Arthur said quietly. And though he was an omega, he was frightening. The quietest rage is the most terrifying.  
“I have not bonded with Alfred,” Arthur continued in that terrible, hard voice. “I will never bond with any alpha. I simply want what is best for my kingdom and myself. And even if this road is hard, it may provide amazing things in the long run. I believe it is worth the risk.”

Yao sighed, rubbing his eyes. “You are an idiot,” he stated before walking away, leaving the spade clock in Arthur’s hand.

~

“When I became Queen, I inherited the position,” Arthur said. “But that is not the only way to become one of the Royal Court.”

Alfred listened intently, for once content to listen to all that Arthur had to explain. His eyes sparkled in the morning sun and Arthur faltered for a moment.

“You can be inducted without any family history in the Court,” Arthur continued, swallowing. “You have to prove that you are capable of the job, however. And if you are a Jack, you could come from nearly anywhere. The Jack often depends on the King and Queen’s personal decisions, unless the title is inherited.”

Alfred nodded.

“There is another way...” Arthur said. “To become a King or Queen, I mean. If the spade clocks choose one.”

“What is a spade clock anyways?” Alfred asked. Arthur pulled his own out, but didn’t let Alfred get a very good look. “They point to the King and Queen, but they don’t work if one is missing.”

“Huh,” Alfred said. “There’s a King and a Queen and a Jack for all of the countries, yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Do the other countries have spade clocks?”

Arthur shook his head. “I think they have another sort of clock - I’ve seen Diamonds’ Jack with one around his neck. Bloody frog,” he added under his breath.

Alfred thankfully didn’t ask. “Okay. Are you guys all friends?” he asked innocently. Arthur almost laughed. “Oh, Alfred.” he said.

“We are friendliest with Hearts,” Alfred said. “But that’s only because we have a temporary alliance with them and Ludwig is fair to everyone.”

“Ludwig?” Alfred asked.

“He is the King,” Alfred answered. “The Queen is called Kiku. He and Yao are good friends. Yao used to live in Hearts, in fact. When he was a child.” Alfred nodded.

“They do not have a Jack,” Arthur sighed. “They are looking for one now. I heard they have been sending out ambassadors to the country. Apparently Ludwig doesn’t want royalty. He wants potential. Ludwig is smart,” Arthur said, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, you’re smart too,” Alfred said reassuringly. “I mean, you’ve been running this place almost alone, right? You gotta be at least a little smart to do that.”

Arthur met his eyes after a moment. “I suppose,” he said.

Suddenly, he drew in a deep breath. His hands were trembling slightly. Thoughts raced in his mind. 

“Alfred?” he said softly. “Do I - do I smell any different than I did when you first saw me?”

Alfred’s eyebrows drew together. He was confused. “No. You still smell the same as ever,” he said after a moment. 

Arthur breathed out, relieved. “Good. Now, Clubs -”

“Arthur? Why’d you ask me that?”

Arthur shook his head. “It does not matter.” Alfred didn’t need to know how paranoid Arthur was. Yao’s words had been bugging him for a while - but if his scent was the same, it meant that he hadn’t bonded with Alfred after all. Arthur felt slightly reassured.

Alfred was quiet for a while. Then he spoke words Arthur needed to hear. “Alright. Tell me about Clubs.” 

“They have a complete Royal Court,” Arthur said. “Their King, Ivan, is one of the most intimidating men I have ever met. He is not what he seems. I believe he could be incredibly dangerous. But the Queen, and the Jack for that matter, they are alright. Elizabeta is the Queen. Roderich is the Jack.”

“I was beginning to think only males were allowed on the Royal Court,” Alfred joked.

“It is not as common to have women,” Arthur explained. “In fact, Cards has a somewhat unequal gender balance. We have more males than females. It is about sixty to forty percent.”

“Wow,” Alfred said. “On Earth, it’s the other way around. There’s more girls than guys - except it’s way more equal.”

Arthur nodded. “The Queen of Diamonds is also female,” he said. “Her brother is also the Jack. Lili and Basch. The King of Diamonds is Francis. Bloody frog,” he couldn’t resist muttering.

“Okay, not to be rude or anything, but that’s the third time I’ve heard you say that,” Alfred said. “You really don’t like Diamonds, do you?”

Arthur shook his head, doing his best to make sure Alfred got the hint. He didn’t get the hint.

“So... why not? It’s because of their King, right? Did he attack you guys or something? Threaten you?”

“Does it matter?” Arthur asked scathingly. 

Alfred’s eyes widened. “Oh,” he said softly.

“Your Highness -” Yao burst through the door. “I apologize for the interruption. But something has happened - the kitchen has been destroyed.” he finished.

Arthur flushed a deep red. Yao didn’t know that Arthur had started that fire, did he?

“It is terrible because now the preparations cannot go on,” Yao added. “In case you were not aware,” he said, glaring pointedly at Arthur. Apparently he did know Arthur had caused the fire.

“Preparations? For what?” Alfred asked.

Arthur glanced uneasily at Yao. “Have the invitations been sent?” he asked hastily.

“You have not told him,” Yao responded blankly. “And yes, they have.”

“Erm... Alfred,” Arthur said. “Interesting thing happened last night -”

“You mean the spade clock chose me to be King?” Alfred asked, seemingly innocent, but his eyes were sharp. “Yeah, I know about that. Next time you guys decide to discuss whether or not to kill me I suggest you do it when I’m actually asleep.”

“Fine,” Arthur said, bristling. “I suppose you conveniently missed the part where I defended you. The preparations are for your coronation. It will happen in three days, so you have got to get busy learning all of the customs you’ll need for the ceremony.”

Alfred’s eyes widened. “Are there a lot?” he asked.

Arthur felt a twinge of pity, but didn’t let it show. “Quite a bit. I cannot afford to help you all of the time. There is much to prepare on such short notice.”

“And we must fix the kitchen,” Yao said dryly.

“Yes,” replied Arthur dryly. “In the meantime, have you thought of using the extra kitchens?”

“They are small and inefficient,” Yao dismissed.

“Well they will be efficient enough for now. Tell the staff.”

~

The next couple of days were beyond busy. Arthur would just have sat down to help Alfred learn when a servant appeared to ask him for help. He stayed up late, getting only a few hours of sleep to run off of. Yao made him an elixir to boost his energy, but it only lasted so long. On the day of the coronation, the guests began arriving. Arthur was required to greet them, and technically so was Yao, but he was often not present. He was focusing most of his time on walking Alfred through the coronation process and making certain that he knew everything that was going to happen. Arthur felt bad for not helping Alfred. They hadn't seen much of each other in the past few days. 

Arthur finally got a bit of free time. He found Alfred on a high up balcony, observing all of the fuss being made in the main courtyard for the coronation.

Without turning, Alfred spoke. “I don’t think you’re making the right choice,” he said. “I won’t be a good king. And then when I find a way home I’ll have to abandon you all.”

Arthur was surprised. He hadn’t realized that Alfred had the same thoughts as Yao.

“You will be alright,” he said, his tone coming out more gentle than he had meant it to. Clearing his throat, he continued. “And don’t worry about leaving us. We will - we’ll be alright.”

Alfred turned, finally. His hair and his coat both were blown asky by the wind - his blue eyes pierced Arthur’s more keenly than ever. In a low, husky voice, he asked, “Will you?”

Arthur barely refrained himself from shuddering. Was Alfred even aware what that did to his body? That tone, his scent - his goddamn eyes -

Once again, Arthur had to snap himself out of his thoughts. He looked away, turning back to face the open doorway. He spoke one last sentence before leaving Alfred to himself.

“I have to be.”

~

Arthur paced in the entrance hall nervously. The ceremony was supposed to begin any moment and Alfred was nowhere to be seen. Arthur had sent a servant up to check the balcony, his rooms. He was gone. Arthur hoped he hadn’t chickened out.

An orchestra played music out in the courtyard. The lovely melody floated through the doors, trying unsuccessfully to calm Arthur’s nerves.

“If he doesn’t show up... if he makes a bloody fool out of us...” Arthur growled. Suddenly, the music stopped.

“No, no no nononono,” Arthur moaned. “Oh, Aces...”

Yao turned to Arthur. “We will go out there, and if Alfred does not come, the embarrassment lies on him.” As the particular drumbeat started up, Yao strode out of the doors in his elegant blue robes. His hair, as usual, was tied with a blue ribbon.

Arthur smoothed his own clothes down. Yao was right. He wouldn’t let Alfred make even more of a fool out of him. He followed the four soldiers out of the doors and down the long navy carpet.

The guests were all standing, watching Yao and Arthur go by. Arthur kept his gaze straight and steady, kneeling at the altar before joining Yao under the ceremonial archway.

Next, the drums introduced three small children. The first two were carrying bunches of blue spade leaves, scattering them along the aisles. The third carried the King’s Royal scepter, looking exceptionally proud of himself. 

For a moment, Arthur thought he saw a fourth child, a boy, running to catch up to the others. He wore a white sailor shirt with a blue collar, and he grinned up at his brother before fading away.

The children also knelt before the altar. The two who no longer held spade leaves split off to opposite sides and joined the soldiers. The one who held the scepter in gloved hands offered it up to Arthur, who took it gracefully. The boy joined his friend on the side.

Then the drumbeat played again for the final time, much grander, slower. All heads turned to where Alfred was standing, at the other end of the long carpet.

He had changed since Arthur had seen him, and now he was wearing a white waistcoat with several gold buttons, along with a grey-blue pair of dress pants loose over his boots. It was completely unorthodox, but it was completely Alfred.

And Arthur loved it. 

He smiled softly as Alfred walked towards him. He held his head high. He didn’t look at the guests as they whispered about him. He didn’t look at Yao, who was staring at him disbelievingly.

“What happened to the formalities I laid out for him!” Yao whispered viciously. “He is making a fool of us!”

“No,” Arthur said, smiling, almost laughing, brushing hair out of his eyes. “He is just being himself.”

Yao scoffed. Alfred knelt in front of the altar. Arthur saw his shoulders shake.

“Alfred F Jones,” Yao said, succesfully masking his disapproval. “This is the man we have gathered here to appoint as our King, the King of Spades. Alfred has been judged to be a true character of heart, of courage, of goodness...”  
Arthur zoned out. Alfred was kneeling down a few feet away, grinning at him. Arthur let out a tiny smile before it was his turn to read.

“Please, Alfred, rise to accept your new responsibilities.” Arthur recited. Alfred stood. “I, Arthur Kirkland, the Queen of Spades -” Arthur fumbled. Alfred had jumped slightly when he had heard Arthur’s name.

He gestured at Arthur in a sort of 'go on' motion, so Arthur did. "-present to you this powerful symbol of your rule."

After Alfred made his vows, Arthur tapped him gently on both shoulders with the scepter before presenting it to Alfred. 

And then, Yao retrieved the King's crown from its place at the altar behind him. Yao came to the side of Alfred, and Arthur stood a little ways behind him on the other side, placing a tentative hand on Alfred's shoulder. As Arthur spoke his concluding sentence, Yao lowered the crown onto Alfred's head. "Now, we present to you, Alfred, the King of Spades."

Alfred bowed shallowly, followed by Arthur and Yao. Then Alfred, Arthur, and Yao walked back down the lane and out of the courtyard, side by side, with Alfred in the middle. 

When they reached the entrance hall, Alfred breathed out an obvious sigh of relief. “Jeez,” he said. “That was nerve wrecking!”

“Alfred,” Arthur said. “Why did you start up when you had heard my name?”

“Oh,” Alfred said with a small smile. “I’d just never heard your full name before!”

Yao began scolding him furiously on his clothes. Alfred rubbed his neck, sheepish, as Arthur turned to look back outside, where all of the guests were milling about. Some were leaving down the paths to the gardens by the pond, where the party was taking place.

“Do we have to wait until everyone is down there to go?” Arthur asked. “No one ever seemed to say anything about that.”

“You can go anytime,” Yao said curtly. “Alfred is not going until he has changed.”

Arthur smirked. “That would be just a tad awkward, don’t you think? Almost as though our King was behaving childishly, and you had to keep him in check.”

“It would just be awkward,” Alfred said. The two shared a teasing smile.

“Fine,” Yao said. “You go to the party. I have work to finish.”

“Yao, you’re not a servant -” Arthur called.

“No, but I am a Jack. And it is my duty to watch over all of the going ons in this house,” he said.

Arthur sighed. “One day Yao is going to wake up and find that he’s been cleaning dishes in his sleep. Come on, Alfred, let’s go.”

“Of course, my queen,” Alfred teased. Arthur scowled at him.

When they got to the gardens, Arthur lost Alfred to a group of representatives from Diamonds. Arthur himself was dragged off by a couple of girls from Hearts. As he approached their little section of the courtyard, he greeted Ludwig and Kiku.

“It is an honor,” Arthur said. “May the aces find favor in you.”

Ludwig gave a short bow. “And in you as well,” he said, completing the formal greeting. “How is fortune finding you, Queen Arthur?”

“Well, thank you,” Arthur said, inclining his head. “The past few days have been busy indeed.”

“I am sure,” Ludwig said. Arthur caught the tone in his voice. Ludwig was uncomfortable. He never was one for small talk. Arthur bowed his head once more, at Ludwig and then at Kiku, before moving on.

“Arthur - “ Alfred’s voice came from the center of a large circle of delegates. “Come join us! It’s such fun!” he was grinning widely. The people gathered around him, mostly younger ones, Arthur noted, were all smiling nearly as widely as Alfred. Arthur was glad that they found him so likeable.

“Sorry, Alfred, at least one of us has to be polite,” Arthur said coyly. Alfred rose his eyebrows in delighted surprise.

“Why, Artie, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were teasing! Come on, loosen up! It’s a party.”

“Yes,” Arthur said. “Formalities must be observed, I am afraid, or someone might ended up getting mated out of wedlock.”

“Huh?” Alfred said. “That doesn’t make sense - why would that happen?”

Arthur curled a finger in, gesturing for Alfred to come to him. Alfred got to his feet springily and obeyed. 

“Listen, Alfred, I want you to be careful. Don’t act too familiar with anyone, especially not the omegas. I’ve seen a few eyeing you already.”

Alfred eyed Arthur. “Are you jealous?” he asked, smirking.

“Wha - no!” Arthur said indignantly. “There are social expectations, Alfred, and one of them has to do with indecency. Mating happens outside of marriage, but if it happens too much, your image becomes tarnished. And if you mate with an omega and then leave them, they will never be able to find another mate. They will fade from neglect and eventually die.”

“What?” Alfred said, horrified. “They die?”

“Yes. So for the love of aces, be careful,” Arthur warned.

“Don’t worry, Arthur,” Alfred said as Arthur began to turn away. “I’m not interested in them. In fact... I think there’s an omega that I like.”

“Is that so...” Arthur said. “One from Spades?”

“Yeah,” Alfred said. “‘Cept I don’t know if they like me yet. But I’ll find out,” he assured Arthur with a wolfish grin. “They couldn’t possibly resist a hero like me.”

“Of course,” Arthur said cooly. “If you would excuse me, Alfred.”

Arthur milled around the party for a couple of hours, exchanging formalities with the people from some other countries. At one point, one of the little girls that had carried spade leaves during the ceremony presented him with a small little bouquet of little flowers, tied together with the ribbon that had been in her hair. Arthur had smiled, accepting the flowers. Then he had taken a pretty one, one that looked like a Lily-of-the-Nile, and tucked it behind her ear.  
She had run off with a blush on her cheeks and a happy smile.

Arthur had run into Yao once, who was red faced and nervous. As Arthur had asked what was wrong, he hadn’t replied, looking around for a bit, and then rushing off to ‘check on the servants.’ Arthur was worried, but let it go.

Towards the end of the night, the guests had all gathered together to witness Arthur presenting Alfred with his own spade clock. When Alfred had accepted it, the guests all cheered and clapped. In the enjoyable evening, Alfred had grown on all of the others, especially the group from Diamonds, it seemed. Their Queen, Lili, kissed him on the cheek in congratulations before her brother dragged her away in a huff. Francis, the bloody frog himself, had slung an arm around Alfred’s shoulders and talked in his ear. The two had gotten along marvelously. Of course. At one point, Alfred had called Arthur over to say hello, but Arthur gave Alfred the coldest glare he could muster and kept walking. Normally he wouldn’t display such rude behavior in front of another from the Royal Court, but this time he was justified. Francis understood perfectly. 

That night, Arthur fell into a fitful sleep.


	3. The Castle of Spades (pt 2)

It took approximately fourteen minutes for Alfred to decide that histories were boring.

It was ironic considering that he had taken a class for the specific reason of studying history, but in archaeology you didn’t have to memorize who the fifth king was and his favorite sport and what kind of food he like for dessert. You didn’t have to know that the eighth jack’s cousin once ran a man through with a sword because he didn’t like his hairstyle. And you didn’t have to memorize all of the battles Cards had ever been through.

“Alfred!” Arthur snapped, after Alfred had been spending a considerable time wondering if there would be any possibilities of hamburgers for lunch or not. 

“Would you like to tell me what I just said?” Arthur said. Alfred cast his mind about. Something about... hamburgers? Wait no, that was what he had been thinking about.

“Umm...”

Arthur looked satisfied. “As I thought. Had you been paying attention, you would know that there have only been eleven female queens in the history of Spades, and only two female Kings. Why aren’t you listening?”

Alfred rubbed the back of his neck. “I was thinking about hamburgers.”

“Hamburgers?”

“Yeah...”

“What is a hamburgers?” Arthur asked, completely bewildered.

“Aw man, you don’t even know what a hamburger is...” Alfred groaned, falling backwards to lay down. “They’re my favorite food. So good...” he mourned the fact that he wouldn’t get to taste one again until he returned home.

If he returned home.

“Perhaps, if you teach us, we could try to make one?” Arthur suggested tentatively. Alfred shot back up.

“You’d do that? Really?” Arthur seemed taken aback.

“If it is something we can do, it’d be nice for you to be able to focus on your studies instead of... hamburgers.” he said.

Alfred laughed. “Oh, man. If you guys had hamburgers here, I wouldn’t be able to think about anything else. Sorry.”

Arthur smiled, but only briefly. “Let’s take a break and go down to the kitchen. We shall see if we have what we need.”

“Well, you’ll need a burger, for one,” Alfred started excitedly as they left the study. “It’s like a flat patty of meat, usually beef, and you cook it. And then you need lettuce, and pickles, and tomatoes, and cheese. Oh and the buns. Those are bread, but they’re a different shape than just a loaf.”

“Hmm,” Arthur said. He looked genuinely interested in what Alfred was saying. “I do not know what most of those things are, but we do have lettuce and cheese and beef. And we can make the kind of bread you need.”

When Alfred bounded through the kitchen door, followed by Arthur, the servants all looked up and smiled. When they saw Arthur, one spoke to him as Alfred looked around.

“Here to bake today, your Highness?” Alfred giggled.

“You bake?” Alfred said. 

“Yes, what of it?” Arthur snapped. “Now, I hope we have most of what you need. You’ll have to show me how to do it.”

“Here is where we keep the beef,” Arthur said, retrieving a piece. “Is this enough?” 

“Yeah, but we’re gonna need to ground it."

One of the servants ran up. "Here, let me."

As he ground the beef, Alfred and Arthur collected the other ingredients needed. It turned out that they did have buns, except they were called scones and they weren't sliced. And they were a bit smaller than what Alfred was used to.

"Now what should I do with this?" The servant asked, holding up the ground meat. 

"Perfect!" Alfred said. "Give it here. How do your ovens work?" He said, going into commando mode. He was going to dominate this kitchen. 

"Here," the servant said. He got the ancient ovens working and they cooked the meat into a couple of patties. 

Arthur watched curiously, almost fearfully, as Alfred expertly sliced the scones he’d been provided with in half. There had been enough meat for five burgers. He quickly sliced the cheese as well. There hadn’t been any pickles or tomatoes, but there was lettuce. He assembled the burgers with an impressive display. When they were finished, Arthur was in awe. The servants were as well, but Alfred was looking for Arthur’s reaction.

“Now we eat them, and find out if my cooking’s poisonous,” Alfred said, grinning. He took up one of the hamburgers and sank his teeth into it. 

It was perfect. 

“Oh, man,” he said after swallowing. “I am so good. I have saved your entire world from lack of hamburgers.”

Arthur poked at one of the burgers curiously. “This is...”

“Try it!” Alfred urged. Arthur picked the burger up, mimicking Alfred. 

“Will this really fit in my mouth?” Arthur asked.

Alfred snickered at the innuendo. “Of course, if you try hard enough,” he replied.

Arthur avoided his eyes, instead choosing to take a small bite out of the hamburger. His eyes widened as he chewed. 

“Do you like it?” Alfred asked. Arthur simply looked at him with those huge, jade green eyes. They were filled with all of the wonder in the world and Alfred hoped that the shake in his knees wasn’t noticeable. 

Arthur took another bite, and then turned to the servants and pointed to the remaining burgers. “Try them,” he insisted. “This has got to be a regular meal in the castle,” Arthur said, turning back to the other man.

Alfred simply smiled.

The next few days were hard on Alfred’s brain, but he learned much. It wasn’t until the third day after the coronation that anything particularly out of the blue happened.

Alfred was sitting in the little garden where he had first talked with Arthur, playing absentmindedly with his hands. He had been staring at the small face for a good ten seconds (which is a very long time when you count it out) before he actually realized it was there.

Alfred let out a very unmanly shriek and jumped backwards, tipping his chair over. His coat went flying everywhere. 

Alfred flailed his arms for a moment, quickly backing away from the small boy. The boy that was completely clear. 

"Oh my god!" Alfred yelled. "Oh my god!"

"Calm down, mister," the boy said. "I know I'm scarier than my brother but this is just insulting."

"You're brother?" Alfred asked, holding a hand to his chest. 

"Ya," the kid said. "Arthur."

"Arthur is your brother?" Alfred asked, slowly recovering. 

"Unfortunately!" The boy said. He turned around and ran to the side of a tall, lean guy... who was also see through. The two did have a sort of faded coloring to them... but the color of their eyes was bright. What really freaked Alfred out was that the older one’s eyes were red.

“Who are you?” Alfred asked.

“I’m myself,” the tall one said. “I’m surprised you didn’t know. But then again, most people don’t get lucky enough to meet a joker in their lifetime.”

Alfred slowly stood, pulling the chair up with him. “A... joker?”

“Yeap,” he said. “The name’s Gilbert. Gilbert Beilschmidt. A full five foot ten and every inch is made of awesomeness.”

“You’re five foot nine, Gil,” the little boy reminded his friend. “I’m Peter, by the way.”

“Ah,” Alfred said, albeit delicately. He felt a bit light headed. “Well, I’ll be going now...”

“So soon?” Peter said, looking so sufficiently heartbroken that Alfred paused. 

“Yes, well...”

“Don’t worry about him, Peter,” Gilbert said, dismissing Alfred. “Can’t you see? He’s scared of me. I must be too much for his presence to take in.”

Peter scoffed, and the two stopped paying attention to Alfred as they passed friendly banter and teasing back and forth. Alfred escaped into the hall, pulling his glasses off and wiping them on his pants. His vision was blurred, but he could make out a person walking towards him before he slipped them back on. The person turned out to be Arthur.

Alfred caught a clear whiff of his scent as he approached, and for some reason, it affected him nearly as badly as the first time he’d smelled it. With constant exposure to Arthur, he thought he should have gotten used to it...

Alfred clenched his fists so hard his nails were digging into his skin. He unconsciously took a half step forward before attempting desperately to restrain himself - but really, what did that matter? What was holding him back? Alfred was an alpha, that meant he had the right to claim any omega he wanted.

No, brain, snap out of it. Just because he’s there doesn’t mean he’s yours, Alfred reminded himself. He took a deep breath meant to calm him down - bad choice. All it did was fill Alfred with more of Arthur’s sweet scent -

“Alfred!” Arthur cried as Alfred felt himself fall against the wall. 

Arthur hovered over him, worried. 

“No - “Alfred said. “Back off, Arthur!”

Arthur retreated from his side. “What? What’s wrong? You got really pale and you were shaking and then you just fell!”

“I am aware,” Alfred growled. “You don’t have to point out my weaknesses to my face, you know.”

It took a moment for Arthur to respond. “What?”

Alfred shook his head, trying to clear it. “Nothing. I’m sorry. I just -”

He couldn’t find the words. He hurried past Arthur and started heading in the direction of his new rooms.

Alfred was tired of restraining himself. No matter what he did, he couldn't figure out whether Arthur had an interest in him or not. Sure, they hadn’t known each other for very long, but now that Alfred’s body was different, he was getting impatient. His changed senses told him that it shouldn’t be this hard, his very genes screamed at him to turn around and claim Arthur as his right there, in that very hallway. But Alfred kept walking until he couldn’t. He sank to the floor just outside the doors to his quarters and drew his knees in, hugging himself.

There, Alfred fell asleep. 

~ 

A week later was the first time Alfred tasted Arthur’s cooking. Arthur had created his very own hamburger to present to Alfred. And Alfred was put into a rather awkward situation, because Arthur was a terrible cook. The burger was nearly burned to a crisp. 

"I don't think you got it quite right," Alfred said after forcing a bite down. "I'll help you learn how to do it sometime, okay?"

Arthur nodded, frowning. "We could do it now. I am not busy."

Alfred laughed. "All right."

Alfred discovered Arthur's problem with hamburgers when they were cooking the meat. 

"Arthur, I think they're ready," Alfred said, checking the oven. 

"No, they are not." Arthur said tersely. 

Alfred was surprised. "You like them darker?" He asked. He hadn't really thought that that would have been Arthur 's style. 

"No, it is simply not done yet," Arthur said. 

Alfred took the burgers out. "If you keep them in too much longer, they burn," he said. "They get dry and tough."

"That's what everyone says!" Arthur barked out. "But if you don't cook it enough, people get sick from it!"

Alfred stared at Arthur. 

So the reason everyone cringed at Arthur 's terrible food was because he didn't want them to get salmonella?

"Arthur, sweetie," Alfred said. "People won't get sick if the food's as cooked as this is. It's only dangerous if you don't cook it barely at all."

Arthur scowled. "Yet somehow my brother still got sick from cooked foods."

Alfred blinked. "You mean Peter? He got sick?"

"How do you know about Peter?" Arthur asked. 

"Well... I met him,"'Alfred said, confused by Arthur's tone.

"You met him?" 

"Yeah, him and another guy named Gilbert." Alfred conveniently refrained from mentioning how much the encounter had freaked him out. 

"The jokers visited," Arthur mused. "And they didn't stop by to see me?"

"The jokers?" Alfred asked. "What are they?"

Arthur shrugged. "No one really knows. It's a very precise and rare bit of magic. One can only become a joker if they are dying."

"Ohh..." Alfred said. "So when your brother got sick..."

Arthur sighed in defeat. "As he died, the healer who was tending to him brought in a powerful warlock without my knowledge and transformed him. Now I rarely see Peter. When I do, I am glad that he still remains, even if his appearance never ages. It has been three years. He has not changed.”

"Huh," Alfred said. He didn't know what else to say after that. 

Arthur turned away. "I suppose that's enough for today. I must go check on Yao."

"Yeah, where has he been?" Alfred asked, following Arthur out of the kitchen. "I haven't seen him for a while."

"He has fallen ill," Arthur answered, almost angrily. "If you wish, you may come and see firsthand when an omega is ravaged by heartbreak."

Yao was lying in bed when the two arrived. He coughed a couple of times a minute. 

"How are you?" Arthur asked. "Has it gotten any worse?" 

Yao shook his head. From a side door, Li Xiao entered with a basin of water and a cloth. "His fever has not broken yet," Li Xiao said. 

Arthur nodded. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Alfred asked curiously.

“He bonded with an alpha,” Arthur replied. “And that alpha left him to rot. This is what I told you about, Alfred. Even if it happens accidentally, like in this case, omegas can’t trust alphas like this. It’s too dangerous.”

Alfred felt his heart snap. Arthur didn’t think alphas could be trusted? Not even him? Well then, Alfred would have to prove him wrong.

Arthur glanced at Alfred. “Sometimes things work out,” he amended. “But it is just too risky in my opinion.”

Alfred squinted, a new thought striking his brain. “Do alphas ever get sick when their omegas leave them?”

Arthur glared at Alfred. “Omegas can’t leave their alpha. If they bond, they bond for life. Alphas bond, but not like that. If they leave an omega they can just find another one. Just another unfair advantage alphas have.”

Alfred looked once again at the sickly Yao. “Who would do that?” he questioned. “What kind of person would...”

Alfred became aware of Arthur’s eyes on him, but he refused to meet them. He turned to leave just as another servant entered the room.

“Your Highness,” he said. “A letter has just arrived.”

“Hand it here,” Arthur said tiredly. Alfred quickly backed out of the path of the messenger.

After a quick scan of the page. Arthur summarized it to the room. “The Hearts Kingdom has found their Jack. They’re inviting us to join them in celebration in three days.”

“Wow,” Alfred said. “How long have they been looking?”

“Only a few months,” Arthur replied absentmindedly. “Such short notice... oh...”

Alfred slipped out. Was he ready for another social gathering? Yao and him had mostly focused on the coronation. Did he have the skill to get through this without embarrassing himself? True, Alfred planned to start a chain reaction of less uptight regulations when it came to how royalty must act, but that didn’t mean that everyone else would accept a complete lack of formality right from the get-go.

The tight schedules and busy days returned. It was decided that Yao would not be accompanying them to Hearts, as he needed rest. Yao protested, insisting that he needed to stay with Arthur, but eventually he backed down.

Arthur told Alfred that they’d be staying for a few days. He helped Alfred pack and they both shared a large trunk for their things. A couple of times, Alfred’s heart flickered as Arthur’s hand brushed his. And Alfred wasn’t completely sure why, but for some reason, Arthur’s scent smelled sweeter to him after that day.

~

"Arthur?" Alfred asked. Arthur was sitting in a chair out in his little garden with the swing, sipping liquid from a teacup. Alfred kept his toes inside the door frame, leaning out just a bit into the open air. "Hey, Arthur? When did you say we were leaving again?"

Without turning around, Arthur responded (and Alfred could just see his eyes closing in exasperation). 

Sure enough, his tone was exasperated when he said, "I've told you six times now, we're leaving in a couple of hours. They're preparing the ships now."

Alfred waited a moment. He was a bit apprehensive about this trip, but as silly as it sounded, he didn't want Arthur to think he was a crybaby. 

"Arthur?"

"Mmm," Arthur replied. His voice sounded considerably warmer than it had just a few moments ago. 

"I've never actually traveled on a ship before. Or a boat."

This caused Arthur to swivel around, astonished. "Never? How do you get around at all in your world?"

"We fly," Alfred said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Arthur's eyes went wide for a moment. Then he narrowed them in suspicion. "Not even our magicians can make people fly."

"It's not magic. It's science," Alfred said earnestly. "I don't know exactly how it works, but I can tell you the basics..."

When Alfred finally explained airplanes to Arthur in a way he could understand... Arthur was amazed. He wanted to work on building one right away. Alfred told him not to get his hopes up. "You'd be better off starting with the original plane made by the Wright brothers. Or something like that."

Arthur looked at him for a moment. "Huh?"

"Never mind," Alfred said. He had enough on his plate without trying to teach Arthur the entire history of Earth.

“I want to make this air-plane,” Arthur said. “It sounds faster than a boat.”

Alfred ran his hand through his bangs, holding them against his head. “I wouldn’t be able to help you very much. I study pots and amulets and suits of armor, not planes.”

Arthur shook his head. “I do not care. We will make an airplane. Even if it takes a while.”

“Aren’t you ambitious,” Alfred teased.

A servant poked their head into the room. “The ships are ready to sail, Your Highnesses.”

“Thank you, Kasem,” Arthur said. “Come, Alfred, let’s go.”

Alfred followed Arthur out to the ships.

 

The transcriber’s note: An apology is due. This segment of the story has been cut out. The client has refused to give me the information as to what occurred no matter how hard I pleaded. His amused partner mentioned something about “embarrassing tales” and “sick to his stomach,” but also refused to spill the beans. The journey to Hearts’ port remains, for now, a mystery.

 

“Hey, Alfred,” Arthur said, settled on the large cushy bed. “What are we supposed to do? They only gave us one bed.”

Alfred shrugged. He was honestly fine with sharing a bed with Arthur - a part of him was leaping at the chance. But he wasn’t sure if Arthur would want that.

“I could always pull some blankets down on the floor,” Alfred offered.

Arthur looked personally offended. “Please. You are a King. I am not going to bloody let you sleep on the floor.”

“No, really,” Alfred said earnestly, taking a blanket from the pile next to the bed. He laid it out on the soft carpet as he spoke. “I do it all the time back home. When we were kids, my brother and I used to-”

Alfred broke off suddenly. In the time that he’d been here, in all of the time that he’d been here, he had nearly forgotten about Matthew. How could he? His goal was to get back to his home - right? He wanted to get back home, back to the pretty girls and the parties and the late night study sessions and the checkups on his brother. He had to find that door...

But Arthur...

“Alfred?” 

Alfred took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat and continued. “I haven’t seen my brother for a while, even on earth. It’s been nearly two years... he got sick on Christmas and I was busy over spring break. You probably didn’t understand most of that last sentence. But anyways, my brother and I used to sleep on the floor a lot because the mattress on our bed was really hard. And when we got older and we didn’t live together anymore, I slept on the floor when I had friends stay over. So I’m used to it. Really.”

Arthur took a breath, and he opened his mouth to say something, but then he stopped. He retreated back into himself and looked away. “If you really want to,” he said softly.

After they had arrived in Hearts, they had greeted only Kiku, as Ludwig and their new Jack had stepped out for a moment to speak to some servants. Then a servant who had introduced himself as Muhammad led the two to a large room in the guest quarters. Their trunk had arrived a short while after, carried by Muhammad and another servant. He and Arthur had spent a bit of time examining their surroundings - the decorations were mostly in shades of red and warm browns. That was when Arthur had climbed onto the bed.

“We have a whole day before the ceremony,” Alfred said after a while, lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling.

“Try not to get lost,” Arthur said mockingly.

“Ha ha,” Alfred returned. “Maybe I’ll just sleep all day. That would be nice.”

“We have to make appearances,” Arthur said. Alfred looked up at him. He was making a face.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why do we have to make appearances?” Alfred said, sitting up and leaning back on his forearms. “You could stay in bed too, we could have breakfast in bed, lunch in bed, sleep, talk, sleep more, do nothing... ahh,” Alfred sighed. “It sounds glorious.”

Arthur let out an unwilling chuckle, surprising Alfred. “One of us has to be responsible,” he said uncertainly.

“Nahhh,” Alfred said. “We could do whatever we wanted in here and no one would know any better! Oh, jeez,” he said as an afterthought, face flaming. “That sounded wrong.”

This time, Arthur let out a full blown laugh, though he stifled it right away. His eyes were dancing.

Alfred laid back down, settling his palms beneath his head. He took his glasses off and reached up, pushing them over the edge of a desk and onto a safe flat surface. “I’m going to fall asleep.”

“You do that.”

“Could you get the lamp?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on the bed?” 

Alfred rose his eyebrows. Arthur was sitting on the side of the bed, buttoning up his long nightshirt. Alfred caught a sliver of Arthur’s pale chest before it disappeared behind the white cloth. He licked his lips as though they were dry.

“Are you insinuating inappropriate things, your Highness?”

“What!?” Arthur exclaimed. “Alfred!”

Alfred grinned. “If you don’t want to wait until tomorrow, I’m perfectly happy to - ow!” Alfred’s hand shot up to his head, rubbing at the spot where Arthur’s hard shoe had hit. “Okay, if you had thrown a pillow, I’d have just laughed some more,” Alfred said. “But that actually hurt. Your shoes are like books.”

“I wanted it to hurt,” Arthur said very quietly, almost ashamed. “You should know by now how I feel about...”

“Oh,” Alfred said. “I was just teasing.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It just makes me uncomfortable.” Arthur said. “I shouldn’t have thrown a book-shoe at you.”

“I shouldn’t have teased. I guess it was a little over the line.”

Arthur took in a deep breath. “I’m not an immature teenager who doesn’t know how to talk about important things. So I’ll just bloody say it... Ever since you’ve got here, I’ve been attracted to you, Alfred. I like you. I want you to stay. But I promised myself... no bonding. Ever. It’s too dangerous.”

Alfred was shocked. “I had no idea,” Alfred said. “I thought you hated me at first. Then I thought you just didn’t like how I showed up out of nowhere and took over Spades. Even though I don’t even really do anything. Then... I don’t know what then.”

“Appearances,” Arthur said. He slipped down onto the floor. “It really is all about appearances, isn’t it. Alfred, maybe if things were different I could be... different. I don’t know. But the last time I thought someone was right for me, right enough for me to break all of my rules, I nearly got killed because of it.”

Alfred slowly scooted over to Arthur’s side, leaning against the bed with him, not touching, but close. “Do you want to talk about it at all? It might help if I know what happened. It might help me understand.”

“I don’t like talking about things,” Arthur said, sighing. Rubbing his eyes. “I... I’ll just give you the short version. I found an alpha, a guy, that I really liked. And we just... we fit together. He was always sweet and he took care of me. I didn’t know him long enough to bond with him, but I was getting close. And then... I caught him with a girl. After that I started hearing all sorts of stories about how much of a player he was, how sweet he would seem and how in love and then... then. As soon as he got in your pants he was gone.”

“Wait - but didn’t he know how that kills omegas?” Alfred asked, aghast.

Arthur shrugged. “They were mostly rumors, if that makes you feel better.”

Alfred frowned deeply. “I want to punch this guy.”

“Well, you were quite chummy with him at the coronation,” Arthur muttered.

Alfred’s brain pinwheeled. “Wait - I met the guy?”

Arthur glanced at him. “Yes.”

Alfred cast his mind back to the party... immediately a single moment stood out to him. Arthur, glaring, the background blurred. The King of Diamonds with his arm around Alfred’s shoulders...

“Francis?” Alfred asked quietly. Arthur immediately tensed, lips pursing. It drew Alfred’s attention to them. They looked soft. He wondered what it would be like to kiss them. He wanted to try.

“Arthur,” Alfred said, in the same quiet way. He knee brushed Arthur’s, and neither of them pulled away. “I like you too. I didn’t tell you that, but I guess I was kinda hinting at it for a while. And I want you. A lot. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I can... not do things with you. I can try to make it easier on you. I’ll keep my distance as best as I can.”

Arthur sighed, and this time it sounded so delicate and heartbreaking that Alfred wanted to curl up and hug Arthur and shower him with little kisses until he laughed again.

“We should sleep,” Arthur said.

“I know,” Alfred said. Neither of them moved.

Eventually, Alfred slid to the ground, getting into a more comfortable position. The ache in his back eased immediately. He was drowsy, drifting off to sleep. But he remembered the warmth of Arthur’s body curling against his back.


	4. The Fortress of Hearts

Arthur met Feliciano for the first time the next morning. He had left Alfred to sleep, covering him with a blanket and resisting the temptation to kiss his forehead. 

When Arthur first entered the room where Feliciano, Ludwig, and Kiku were, Feliciano didn’t notice him. He was chatting Ludwig’s ear off, and for once, the stoic King barely looked uncomfortable. His cheeks were a bit pink. Kiku was smiling softly at the two.

Ludwig noticed Arthur. The moment his attention shifted, Feliciano just seemed to sense it and he immediately turned to see where Ludwig was looking. His face broke into a big smile.

“You must be the King of Spades Arthur right?” He said quickly. Everything he said was fast. “I’m Feliciano but you can call me Feli because everyone does except Ludwig sometimes when he wants me to be serious but anyways -”

“Feli,” Ludwig broke in with his deep voice. “Why don’t you go entertain Kiku for a while? I will welcome our guest.”

“Yes Luddy!” Feliciano exclaimed. He bounced right over to the Queen and started in on him.

Luddy?

“Welcome,” Ludwig said, leading Arthur away from the other two royals. “May the aces find favor in you.”

“And also in you,” Arthur replied, but he was mildly distracted. “He looks like a child,” Arthur said. “He is so young - are you sure he is up to this?”

“Yes,” Ludwig said. “He is stronger than he looks.”

Arthur hummed in acknowledgement. 

“Now, Arthur,” Ludwig said. “There is something I wish to discuss with you.”

That caught Arthur’s attention. “What is it? Is it urgent? Has Clubs been stirring up trouble again?”

Ludwig shook his head. “Clubs has become more reclusive as of late, but that is not what I wish to talk about. This is personal.”

Arthur was stunned. Ludwig rarely talked about more than political necessities. Never personal things.

“I noticed it the moment you entered the room,” Ludwig said. “Your scent has changed since last we met.”

Arthur was given no time to process this. He remained in shock as a sleepy voice echoed from the doorway.

“Arthur? Are you - oh, there you are. I woke up and you were gone and I almost got lost twice on the way - oh, am I interrupting something?” he asked, looking between Ludwig and Arthur.

Arthur couldn’t speak. He looked at Ludwig helplessly and Ludwig glanced between the two. He gaze hardened slightly. “King Alfred,” he said. “May the aces find favor in you.”

If Arthur could have frozen even more, he would have. He took in a harsh breath and held it. Arthur had never taught Alfred the greeting.

“Um...” Alfred said, glancing at Arthur.

“Aren’t you going to say, ‘And in you as well?’” Feliciano peeked out from behind Ludwig’s broad back, a hand on his back to steady himself. 

“Yes, yes, and in you as well...” Alfred said. “I’m just worried about Arthur,”

“Aww, how sweet!” Feliciano cooed. “He does look pretty pale, though, doesn’t he? Maybe he needs some food!”

“Hush, Feliciano,” Ludwig said. Feliciano stilled immediately, avoiding Ludwig’s eyes. “Go to Kiku.”

Ludwig turned back to Alfred. “You and your Queen should come with me. We need to talk.”

Alfred followed Ludwig out, and after a moment, so did Arthur.

His scent had changed. 

Ludwig seemed to know something about it.

What had happened?

“Ludwig -” Arthur started. They entered a study and Ludwig leaned against the edge of a desk. 

“Ludwig,” Arthur repeated, almost whimpering. He didn’t know what else to say.

“Hush,” he said. Then he turned to Alfred. “It is you, I can tell. He has bonded with you.”

“What?” Alfred gasped. “But - but why?” He looked to Arthur. “Arthur, I’m so sorry! I know you never wanted this to happen, and even if I kind of wanted it to happen I was willing to not let it happen because you didn’t want to... oh, God...”

“Shut up, Alfred,” Arthur managed. “It’s bloody fine. It wasn’t your fault.”

“What I do not understand is how you did not realize it was happening,” Ludwig said. “You are perceptive. You knew so easily with Francis...”

“He knows about that?” Alfred asked.

“Pretty much everybody knows about that,” Arthur said.

“Except me,” Alfred muttered. “Right.”

“I don’t get it!” Arthur suddenly shouted, startling the others. “I was so careful! I thought...”

“Did you notice his scent was different?” Ludwig asked Alfred.

“Yes... I didn’t really think about it, though.” Alfred said sheepishly.

“I have a theory,” Ludwig said slowly. “Not only has your scent been affected so much, but his has changed a small bit as well. It is blatantly obvious that you two are mixed. Perhaps the reason you did not detect it, Arthur, was because it was so natural for you two to bond.”

“Natural?” Arthur asked. 

“Yes. If two people have a close relationship, or if they simply work together better than other couples do, they will bond more quickly and naturally.”

“How do you know so much about this?” Arthur asked.

“I know many things,” Ludwig said.

Arthur rubbed his eyes. “It’s too early for this,” he said.

“In case you were wondering, it is a mental bond,” Ludwig said, clearly wrapping up the conversation. “And if my suspicions are correct, an emotional one is not far behind.”

“Oh,” Alfred said.

“Thank you, Ludwig.” Arthur said. The tall man nodded and left.

“I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard him talk,” Alfred said. 

“He talks plenty if it’s all business. Personal things, not so much.”

“He’s kind of intimidating.”

Arthur nodded. “The first time I met him, the masculinity radiating off of him was so strong that I nearly broke down. He is one of the most alpha alphas I have ever met. Even now, I can still feel it in my gut. I am surprised that Feliciano is doing so well in his presence.”

“Oh,” Alfred said. “Arthur, I really am sorry though -”

“There’s nothing you can or could have done,” Arthur said, only half believing it himself. 

“Still...”

“Just let it go, Alfie, please,” Arthur said. The nickname slipped out accidentally, but Arthur didn’t bother correcting it.

After a moment, Alfred spoke again. “So I guess that’s a no to sleeping all day, huh?”

Arthur let out a laugh - more of a syllable, an acknowledgement of his comment. “Probably not.”

“Is there anything I need to know about... this? Us?”

Arthur took a deep breath. His stomach felt fluttery. Us.

“If you neglect me, I’ll get sick,” Arthur said. “That’s mostly it. I’m guessing the bond began forming because of the extensive time we spent learning together.”

“And we’re getting an emotional bond too?”

“Apparently. It might not happen for a while, but it’s bound to eventually.”

“Are you okay?”

“Do I have to be?”

“No.”

“I’m okay.”

That night, as Arthur slipped into his nightshirt, he paused and turned to Alfred. He simply watched for a few moments as Alfred slipped into his own night wear - a shirt and shorts that he called ‘pajamas.’ Arthur smiled despite himself.

Alfred laid out his blanket on the ground - but Arthur spoke up. “Alfred?”

“Mmm?” came the response.

“Let’s not sleep on the floor.” Arthur said, unsure how to phrase what he wanted.

Fortunately, Alfred seemed to understand. “If you really want to.”

And as Arthur fell asleep, he touched his pinky finger to Alfred’s.

~

Feliciano was fairly subdued on the morning of the celebration. His bright smile kept breaking out every once in a while but Ludwig kept him polite and formal. Kiku had confided to Arthur that Feliciano had woken him before the sun rose, too impatient to go back to sleep.

Arthur himself felt slightly groggy. He took a bath, relaxing and preparing himself for the day. As he left to find Alfred, he ran into Lili Zwingli of Diamonds.

The people started filtering out into the courtyards for the celebration. As Arthur and Alfred entered, they nearly ran into a pair of other men. The smaller one was trying to convince his friend to go the other way - Arthur started. He looked nearly identical to Feliciano.

“Lovi, I do not understand -”

“You idiot bastard, let’s just go! I don’t want to be here, there is no point.”

“Lovino -”

“Pleeease,” Lovino begged.

The taller one sighed. “Fine, let’s go.”

“Excuse me,” he said with a smiling face as the two passed Arthur and Alfred.

The two burst into a fresh round of bickering as they walked away. Arthur smiled. Their scents were so wrapped up in each others’.

Alfred and Arthur were seated at a long table covered in a pale pink tablecloth with some others. The crowd here was considerably smaller than at Alfred’s coronation, made up of mostly Hearts residents. Only one representative had arrived from Clubs, and she looked quite nervous. It seemed that Ludwig had been right: Clubs was practically hermit-like. Arthur wondered what new happening had caused the change.

“Excuse me,” Kiku’s soft voice rose above the chatter. “Welcome. May the aces find favor in you.”

“And in you as well,” came the response from all corners of the courtyard. The words echoed off of the stones. All attention turned to Kiku, who was standing at a smaller table with Ludwig and Feliciano.

Kiku nodded and took a breath, but before he could say a word, the single representative from Clubs stood.

“I am sorry to interrupt,” she said. “Truly. But I have brought news that all here need to know. It has to do with why I am the only one from Clubs here today.”

“Has something happened?” a voice called. The woman took a shaky breath.

“I am here to report what is happening, no more.” she said. “And so I will report. This very moment, while you all sit and celebrate an ancient rite, my King Ivan Braginsky is not home. Today, Clubs officially declares war on Diamonds.”

Immediately shocked dialogue filled the air. It all hushed abruptly as Francis Bonnefoy stood, his chair crashing back. 

“What is the meaning of this!” he shouted. “You play dirty tricks, girl! Waiting until Diamonds is unprotected by me and my court - and attacking only then? You cowards!” Vasch had to hold him back. After a moment, Francis gave up and turned to Vash and Lili, speaking with them desperately. Chaos broke out. The woman from Clubs was seized by guards and dragged away. 

Eventually, Arthur had enough. He stood on top of the table before him and screamed at the top of his lungs. “Enough!”

Everyone quieted down fairly quickly.

“Now,” he said. “If you could all keep your heads.”

Kiku took it from there. “We will resume our celebration later today. Right now, this time will be given to the Diamonds community gathered here today. You can decide your plan of action. Is that good for you?” Kiku asked, searching the crowd of yellow and orange for their King Francis.

“He has left,” Lili announced, pushing her way to the front, Vasch close behind. Protective. “He will return to his city of gold to make what preparations he can. He told me that he will return late tonight and fill us in. We will make further decisions then.

Kiku nodded. “I am sorry.”

“Arthur?” Alfred asked. Arthur turned to him.

“Are we leaving?”

Suddenly, Vasch appeared at Arthur’s side. “I need to speak with you. It is urgent.”

He dragged them into the large corridor. “My King Francis specifically asked me to speak with you. He told me that you must not leave before he returns. He has a package of utmost importance that he is bringing back with him from Diamonds that must be kept safe. He wishes to secretly place this package on one of your ships before you leave to ensure that no living soul knows of it’s location but us. He also asked that I not reveal the package’s content, as he will be sending further information to you.”

“What?” Arthur hissed. “I don’t want to be involved in this war, I don’t-”

“If all occurs as it should, no one will know of your involvement,” Vasch said impatiently. “And it is in your interest, specifically,” he said to Alfred. “That you accept.”

“Mine?” Alfred said quietly, surprised. 

“Indeed. I am afraid I cannot reveal more. His Highness should return within eight hours, if he manages to find a good horse in Hearts’ stables.”

And then, Vasch was melting back into the crowd.

“Eight hours,” Arthur said. “He won’t be back until seven at night. Maybe even later. It should be alright. We were planning on staying until tomorrow. But I don’t like the thought of becoming involved in this war...”

Alfred remained uncharacteristically quiet. His crown was crooked on his head. Arthur resisted the urge to reach up and straighten it.

"Alfred?" Arthur asked. "Come on, you're my King. Don't space out on me now."

Alfred pursed his lips. "No, Arthur."

He turned away. "This crown? It's made of paper. It doesn't mean a single thing. So I'm the King of Spades? So what! I don't do anything important. I don't help anyone. And when I finally find a way to get back home I'll leave destruction in my wake."

Arthur was speechless for a moment. Then he spoke up. 

"You have to stop thinking about that," he said. “You never asked to come here. It wasn't your choice. You were forced into this position. So just bear with the paper crowns a little longer, okay?” Arthur encouraged Alfred while his own heart broke. "And when you leave, we'll all remember you. You've already changed our world.”

Alfred sighed in frustration. "I just... just. I want to go home. But I met you and Yao and even if he doesn't like me very much I like both of you so much. You more probably. Definitely. And that makes me not want to leave."

Arthur looked up at him. "Really?"

Alfred's gaze was steady. "Really."

Arthur looked down. "I kind of want to kiss you right now."

"Then why not?" Alfred said. 

"I don't want to bond physically with anyone. Not yet," Arthur said. "Two bonds is more than enough for me. Especially when I didn't ever want any in the first place. I just thought you might like to know. If I was ever going to kiss you, it would've been right then."

Alfred smiled. “Well, it’s good to know that my cheesy one-liners work on you so well. And here I thought you were such a grouch.”

Arthur scowled. “Oh... whatever.”

Alfred turned to look into the courtyard. “Looks like things are calming down in there,” he noted.

“Finally,” Arthur said. “There isn’t much anyone can do. We’ll resume the party and then go home and make preparations against Clubs in case they attack.”

“Do we have to go back? Out there, I mean.”

“Yes,” Arthur said. “Yes, we do.”

“Ugh.”

Just then, a boy rounded the corner and froze at the sight of them. Arthur recognized him as Lovino, the one from before.

He didn’t say anything, he just looked down and snuck past them into the courtyard. A moment later, his friend poked his head out from around the corner. When he spotted Arthur and Alfred, he grinned and came the rest of the way.

“Hello, amigos,” he said. “My name is Antonio. I believe we met once before. Do you know where little Lovi went?”

“In there,” Alfred said, nodding his head towards the courtyard.

Antonio grimaced. “I was afraid of that. He has done his best to keep me out of there all day, and I want to know why.”

“I think he went to the left, if you want to avoid him,” Alfred offered.

“Thank you,” Antonio said, beaming. “I think I’ll go in and visit his brother now - of all the time he’s been here, I haven’t managed to run into him yet.”

“His brother?” Arthur found himself asking.

“Yes, Feliciano. I met the two when we were younger. Hearts sent me as an ambassador to find a new servant for them, a suitable one, and I came across the Vargas family. I took Lovino back with me. He is the older one.”

“Ah,” Arthur said. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Antonio.”

“Yes.” he said, smiling brightly. He went off to find Feliciano.

Only a few minutes later, a loud cry was heard from the courtyard, starling Arthur. He watched through a gap in the people as Feliciano discovered Antonio.

“Antonio, you’re here, I’m so happy!” Feliciano cried. “I was wondering where you and Lovi were but I could never find you and I was so sad but Ludwig promised that I would see you eventually and -”

Suddenly Lovino broke through the crowd, horror in his eyes.

“Lovino!” Feliciano cooed happily. He hugged his brother tightly, Lovino looking uncomfortable.

“Let go, you bastard,” Lovino said. “You’re crushing my ribs.”

Feliciano laughed and released his brother. “Just like you, Lovi! Sorry,” he said. “I missed you so much, and so did Grandpa Roma!”

“Come on, Antonio, let’s go,” Lovino said, tugging at Antonio’s arm. Arthur watched curiously. Feliciano’s face fell immediately.

“You - you’re leaving?” he asked, somewhat more quietly than before. “But I just found you!”

“Lovi, relax,” Antonio said soothingly. “What’s wrong?”

Lovino screwed up his face. “Nothing’s wrong!” he shouted. “Bastard,” he added, just before running off.

“What do you think he’s so upset about?” Alfred asked quietly. Arthur was startled to find the King so close to his side. Once again, he nearly reached up to fix his crooked crown.

“I do not know,” Arthur said. “But maybe... maybe, if Lovino was trying so hard to keep Antonio away from the celebration, maybe he didn’t want Antonio to meet Feliciano.”

Alfred pondered that for a moment. “Why?” he asked.

Arthur sighed. “I don’t bloody know.” he said. How could Alfred expect him to know what was going on in another person’s head?

Later, as dusk was slowly coming and the lightning bugs appeared, filling the air with a beautiful gold light, Arthur and Alfred sat together. The mood had become more calm and peaceful over the afternoon and into the evening, and a little while ago, Alfred had tentatively taken Arthur’s small finger and hooked it with his own. Their hands hung together loosely. Arthur pretended he didn’t notice, but his head was filled with Alfred’s scent and it was making him a bit dizzy.

“Alfred?” he said softly.

“Mmm,” came the reply.

“You do know that you won’t be able to go back home until this war is over?”

Alfred didn’t respond, so Arthur continued. “The door was in Hearts before you came. Then when you got here, obviously it was in Spades. And then M... the mystery person came through. So that means it’s either in Clubs or Diamonds now, and Clubs has declared war...” Arthur looked at Alfred, pleading. 

Alfred wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“I know.”

~

Lili reappeared an hour later, as Arthur and Alfred headed back to their rooms, checking to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind. Their fingers were still hooked together.

“Queen Arthur,” Lili said, panting. “My King Francis has secured the package on one of your ships. You do not have to worry about it at all, he told me to inform you that you don’t have to worry about getting it off of the ship either.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry,” Lili gasped. “I cannot tell you any more. Please, I must leave - only moments after the package was secured, Ivan captured my King! He had followed us back from Diamonds. Now His Highness is held captive in his own home. Vasch is with the others - we must set out as soon as possible. I advise you to do the same, before the package is found.”

Lili ran off again.

Arthur looked at Alfred. Their eyes met - green to clear blue. “We need to go.” Arthur said.

“Yeah,” Alfred agreed. They broke into a run, dodging Diamonds’ representatives running about and preparing to leave. They ran through the stone halls, their shoes clicking like hands on a clock and echoing around them. What a perfect metaphor, Arthur thought. It’s like we’re running out of time. Literally.

They reached the docks as the crew was preparing the ship. One of the workers shouted down at the two. 

“We’re nearly ready to set off, your Highnesses!” he called. “Come aboard and we’ll be off!”

Arthur looked up at Alfred’s face, pale in the moonlight. “Are you ready?”

 

The transcriber’s note: An apology is due. This segment of the story has been cut out. The client has refused to give me the information as to what occurred no matter how hard I pleaded. His amused partner mentioned something about “a giant squid” and “screaming like a baby,” but also refused to spill the beans. The journey home to Spades remains, for now, a mystery. Please enjoy my version of elevator music, Something I Need by Onerepublic, as an apology.

 

“Do we really not have to worry about this package?” Alfred asked as they unsteadily walked away from the ship. The sun had risen a few hours ago. Around them, workers unloaded the stocks and passed them off to other servants that brought them up to the castle.

“If Lili told us not to do anything, I’m sure they planted someone with the package to go undercover in Spades. Or at the very least, informed one of our own servants about the urgency that it is kept safe.” Arthur replied.

Alfred’s head hung. “I just feel weird about it. Like... like it’s important. And I mean, I know it’s important, but like I need to find it and keep it safe. It’s almost like I feel a connection to it.”

“Vasch did mention that it was in your specific interest to take the package. I do not know what it could be, however.”

Alfred remained troubled all the way back up to the castle. When they got back to their rooms, Alfred immediately flopped down on his bed and sighed. Arthur left him reluctantly to check on Yao.

Yao was not much better than before. His cough came less often, but now he was wracked with great temperature swings. He was now under the constant care of Li Xiao.

“Yao...” Arthur said. “How is he?”

“Faint,” Li Xiao replied. “But he is doing fairly well. Some days are worse than others. His particular sickness seems to be progressing faster than the average speed. Yesterday we went for a walk around the halls. I believe he would like to do so again today.”

“I can take him,” Arthur said. “You have done so much.”

“It is my job,” Li Xiao said, bowing. He retreated as Arthur approached his friend.

“Hello Yao,” he said. Yao smiled softly. 

“Arthur. You are back.”

“Yes. Li Xiao told me that you want to go out for a walk?”

Yao nodded. “I feel a bit shaky. Maybe just a short one. Could we stop by my study? I would like a book to read, or some sort of entertainment.”

“Are you terribly lonely?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Yao,” Arthur said, his heart breaking. “I’m so sorry.”

“Li Xiao has been helping,” Yao said. “But it is not enough. At least I have not mated. If that had happened, I would eventually die.”

Arthur nodded. “Perhaps I can help as well. You and I are fairly close.”

Yao nodded. He slowly pushed back his blankets and got to his feet. Arthur walked beside him as they left the room.

“Your legs are doing well,” Arthur commented. “I was worried that you would not be able to stand.”

“I am not so weak yet,” Yao said, a steely determination entering his eyes. “But Arthur - has your scent changed?”

Arthur looked to the side. “Yes, though not willingly,” he mumbled. “I thought I was being careful not to let it happen. Somehow it snuck up on me.”

“I am sorry,” Yao said. “Does the one you have bonded with remain with you?”

“Yes, thankfully,” Arthur said. “But he will leave eventually.”

Yao was quiet for a moment.

“It was Alfred, wasn’t it.”

“Yes.”

“I told you he would be trouble.”

“Yes.”

“You did not listen.”

“No.”


	5. The Castle of Spades (pt 3)

Alfred took a long bath before going down to get lunch. He felt much more refreshed and just better. Arthur had told him about Yao a few hours back. Alfred was worried. He didn’t want Yao to get worse.

But as he settled down to eat, a page entered the hall with news.

“A man has appeared at the gates,” he announced. “He wishes to speak with the King of Spades.”

Alfred froze with a hamburger halfway to his mouth. “Me?” he said.

“Him?” Arthur echoed. He looked awfully pale, and he stuttered a bit when he spoke. “Are you sure that this man is not an assassin?”

“He claimed to know his Majesty,” the page said, nodding to Alfred.

Alfred didn’t know anyone in Cards.

“I suppose I could take a look,” Alfred said. “Where is he?”

“Should I bring him in?” the page requested.

“Sure,” Alfred said. 

“Alfred, consider this,” Arthur pleaded. “That man could be trying to hurt you. You do not know how to defend yourself!”

“I could learn,” Alfred said, slightly defensively. “In fact, I probably should learn, if war is coming.”

Arthur shook his head. “I do not think you should see him.”

Something was off with him...

“Arthur, do you know who this man is?”

“What?” Arthur spluttered, his face going, if possible, even paler. “How could I? I have no idea who is coming.”

Arthur definitely knew who was coming.

“You’re lying to me,” Alfred decided.

“Alfred,” Arthur begged. “I -”

The door opened wide again, and the page entered. “Your guest,” he announced. The man walked into the large room, tentatively, hunching his shoulders as though he wanted to melt into a little puddle.

“Matthew!” Alfred screamed. He jumped to his feet lightning fast and was over to his brother in a heartbeat. He grabbed Matthew’s face in his hands, light blonde hair cascading over his fingers. “Matthew - Matthew!”

“Alfred,” Matthew whispered, and then he was a sobbing mess, hugging Alfred tightly. “God, at last I’ve found you. Alfie -”

“Mattie, Mattie, how did you get here?” Alfred stroked his Matthew’s hair, taking in every single inch of the brother he’d missed so much.

“I followed you,” he cried, his voice still as soft as Alfred remembered. But now there was something different about him - his presence came with a soft scent that made Alfred think of warm sweaters in winter and warm, sticky syrup. And it fit so perfectly with his brother that the dam finally broke and a tear slipped down Alfred’s face.

“What do you mean?” Alfred said, sniffing.

“I followed you,” he said. “I flew over to see you, to surprise you, and I found you in the church. I was going to jump out and scare you, but you went through that door and when I followed you through, I blacked out. And when I woke up I was in a dungeon and Ivan was so terrifying and everyone was so overwhelming and I barely got out.”

“You were Ivan’s prisoner?” Alfred asked, a dangerous tone entering his voice.

“Yes,” Matthew said. “But one of my guards helped me escape and I stayed in Diamonds and then Francis got me here.”

Arthur, forgotten until now, gasped. “You were the package!” he cried. “That’s why it was in Alfred’s best interest to take it - I mean, you...”

Matthew nodded.

“So...” Arthur said. “You two...”

Alfred caught Arthur’s look. “Mattie is my brother,” he said. “We’re twins.”

“Oh,” Arthur said, looking mildly relieved. “Yes, I can see how you look alike. You look nearly exactly alike. I just wasn’t sure...”

Matthew caught on to what Arthur had been thinking and flushed red. His eyes closed as he waved his hands back and forth, a habit for when he was embarrassed. He rambled on softly about the mistake but Alfred tuned him out. He grabbed Arthur’s hand and pulled him over to Matthew.

“Matthew, this is Arthur, the Queen of Spades,” Alfred introduced. “Arthur, Mattie.”

“Hello,” Matthew said, smiling nervously. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Arthur nodded. “And... you as well.”

Alfred could sense the tension. Matthew was nervous and scared, Arthur was uncomfortable. He needed to do something.

“Guess what Mattie?” Alfred asked, slinging an arm around his brother’s shoulders and nearly knocking his glasses off. “Oops - sorry. But guess what? I managed to bring hamburgers into fashion here,”

“Oh, Alfie,” Matthew sighed. “I suppose you didn’t recreate maple syrup, either.”

“Oh, sorry, bro. I’ll do that next.”

“I guess you’re a hero now,” Matthew said. “You’re changing the world just like you always wanted to. Even if it’s not our world.”

Alfred laughed. “I missed you,” he said. “I was worried that you’d be worried about me. Are you okay?”

Matthew shrugged. “I could be better.”

Alfred smiled sadly. “Don’t worry. We’ll go home when the war is over.”

Matthew nodded, and Alfred didn’t notice Arthur slip through the door.

~

That night, Alfred heard a cry coming from Yao’s study. Knowing Yao, he had probably gotten up on his own and gone to his study, and then hurt himself or worse. So Alfred crashed into Arthur on the way to the room, both of them losing their balance for a moment but continuing on. 

Yao was standing over his desk and didn’t look severely injured in any way, shape, or form. But he turned to the two as they entered, holding a folded piece of parchment, eyes wide with a mix of terror and hope. It was an odd combination.

“Arthur, I have just found this letter...” he said. “You need to read it.”

He handed the letter to Arthur and Alfred stood on his toes, looking over his shoulder:

Do not worry. I will rescue you once I have enough strength, da?  
\- Ivan

“What does this mean?” Arthur said.

“I do not know,” Yao replied. “But it might have something to do with this war.”

Alfred spent more time with Matthew in the following days, but that didn’t mean he was unaware of everything that was happening around him. Diamonds was drawing into itself just as Clubs had, and trouble was growing within it. Word of villages and towns being taken over by the Clubs’ military force quickly spread throughout Cards. Diamonds was becoming a huge prison camp.

Alfred and Matthew trained hard every day with Benjamin, and Jett, two men that led Spades’ armies. They discovered right away that Alfred had brute force but was lousy with a sword. He was a fair shot with a bow and had all of the power and strength needed for a good one. Matthew, on the other hand, worked better with a number of daggers concealed on his body, favoring strategy and avoidance tactics over direct strength. He also was decent with a bow, but instead of a normal one, he seemed to like working with the longbow more. Matthew’s biggest problem was that he was affected terribly by the alpha pheromones and became weak and overpowered quickly. He often needed to train individually with Benjamin, who was an omega. Alfred was spontaneous, and not much could throw him off, but he always forgot to protect his left side.

Sometimes Arthur came down to watch Alfred train, but he always ended up leaving fairly quickly. After a while, he stopped coming. Alfred couldn’t help but feel like they were growing apart.

One afternoon, when Alfred and Matthew were resting together after a long batch of training, Matthew said something that surprised Alfred.

“Even with you here I feel so lonely,” Matthew said. “I don’t understand why. It’s like a part of me aches for something, but I don’t know what...”

Alfred didn’t know what to say.

Matthew turned to him. “Have you ever felt like that?”

Alfred thought. 

He shook his head.

Matthew turned back to look over the town below them. The hill curved down somewhat steeply.

“I think Arthur feels it too,” Matthew said. “I’ve noticed the same look in his eyes that I’ve seen in my own. The mirrors here aren’t very common are they?”

Alfred shook his head. “Maybe you should ask Arthur what it is.”

“I - I don’t think he like me very much,” Matthew whispered.

“Why not?” Alfred asked, scooting closer. Matthew scooted away.

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s kind of overwhelming, even when you’re my brother. But... I think he’s jealous. You two were kinda close, right?”

Alfred nodded.

“I think he doesn’t like me,” Matthew said. “Because I took you from him. And we’re going to leave. And he doesn’t want you to leave.”

“You’re smart, Mattie,” Alfred said, a little surprised. “How do you know all that? You’ve barely met him.”

Matthew shrugged. “I just know. Intuition, I guess.”

“The sixth sense,” Alfred teased. “Did I mention that I met ghosts here?”

“Did you scream?”

“What? No! They weren’t even ghosts, anyways...”

~

Alfred was pretty sure that Matthew was right. So he went to Arthur one afternoon after training instead of hanging out with his brother. When he found his Queen, he was at his desk. Reading. Coughing.

“Hey,” Alfred said. Arthur jumped and looked up, startled.

“Hello,” he said. His voice was nearly as cool as it had been when Alfred had first met him. But his eyes were different - his eyes were desperate. And his cheeks were flushed.

“I’m sorry that I haven’t really seen much of you lately -”

Arthur stood, cutting him off. “Shut up. Just shut up,” he muttered. Alfred shut up. The silence was choking him.

Arthur took a deep breath. And coughed again. “I...” there was a noticeable shake in his voice. “Bollocks, I...”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Alfred said. 

“You have no idea,” Arthur continued anyways. “How bloody terrible it feels... I was so buggin’ lonely...”

Suddenly, it all clicked. Loneliness. The cough Arthur had. The couple of soft, half coughs Matthew had let out in the past few days, as if he wanted to cough but couldn’t quite do it. 

“I’ve been neglecting you,” Alfred realized. “I’m so sorry.”

“It is not horrible,” Arthur said. “It could be worse.”

“Come here,” Alfred said. He drew Arthur into a hug, caressing the back of his head. And it felt so perfect.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“It is okay.”

“It’s not okay.”

“It is okay.”

After a moment, Alfred decided to ask Arthur about Matthew. “I think Matthew’s bonded with someone. He doesn’t know anything about bonding. But he’s getting a cough like you. And just yesterday he was asking me if I’d ever felt lonely.”

“It is obviously not someone from Spades,” Arthur said, pulling back. “It would have to be someone he’s close with, and he would see them everyday if they were in Spades.”

“When he first got here, he mentioned a guard that got him out of Clubs,” Alfred remembered. “Could that be the one?”

“That would be bad,” Arthur said, wincing. “We are no longer friendly with Clubs. There would be no way for them to see each other.”

Alfred grimaced. “That would be bad.”

“Speaking of Clubs,” Arthur said. “About the note that Yao found...”

“Did you figure out what it means yet?” Alfred asked instantly. Even that information could be huge.

“I have a thought.” Arthur said. “I was thinking... Ivan knows that Spades has power. It’s our signature. What if he attacked Diamonds to get more manpower so that he could safely take us on? I don’t think we’d be able to win against two countries.”

“That,” Alfred said. “Is a terrible thought. Thank you, Mister Sunshine.”

“Do you think it is possible?” Arthur asked.

“Are you really asking me?” Alfred replied.

“Yes.”

Alfred thought about it. “It’s possible.”

Arthur exhaled. “If that is what’s really going on, we are in big trouble.”

“Yeah,” Alfred said. “Pretty much.”

The two were silent for a moment. Alfred slipped his hands into Arthur’s slowly, carefully. Arthur pretended not to notice. Alfred accepted it. He knew it was the only way he would be able to do this.

And then the news came. They heard it shouted, heard it whispered by unbelieving lips. Diamonds had launched a fleet of battleships, along with a couple of Clubs', and they were heading straight toward Hearts. 

"I was certain they would attack us first," Arthur whispered. "Why Hearts? Poor Feliciano... I hope Ludwig has a plan..."

As it turned out, Ludwig did have a plan. He sent dozens of ships stuffed with Hearts citizens, Feliciano and Kiku included, to take refuge in Spades. Ludwig alone stayed behind to fight. He was the admiral of his own army. When Kiku and Feli arrived, Feliciano was crying. 

Alfred, Arthur, Matthew, Kiku, and Feliciano spent a lot of time together over the following weeks as Diamonds and Hearts waged war. Occasionally, Yao joined them as well. Feliciano needed lots of support in the absence of Ludwig. The two had bonded incredibly strongly, though Ludwig had refrained from getting too close to him. Feliciano was terrified that Ludwig would be killed. Alfred was afraid that Ivan would turn both Hearts and Diamonds on Spades. Everyone was tense. 

Word came from Ludwig. He told them that things were going well but that Diamonds were acting suspiciously. They were pulling back. 

Alfred was worried that Diamonds was falling back because they were going to attack Spades. 

He was right. 

Clubs arrived first. They cut off Spades' port. When Diamonds arrived, Arthur started preparing for a counterattack. But the navy didn't attack. They simply stayed there. Waiting. 

On the fifth day, Alfred began to suspect an ulterior motive. On the sixth, he told Arthur about his suspicions. Arthur agreed. "It is strange that all they do is sit and block our passage."

"Are they trying to stem our supply of food?" Alfred asked.

Arthur frowned. "They'll run out of food faster than we will. And they'll have to come ashore eventually."

On the seventh day, the little group of friends met up again, and Alfred smelled it immediately. Kiku's scent had changed drastically. Even more than Arthur's had when they had bonded. There was a particular part of his aroma that was completely new. He knew that the others had noticed it too. But before anyone could ask, Kiku told them himself. 

"There is no point in hiding it," he said, smiling softly. "I have found a mate."

"Who?" Feliciano asked immediately. Kiku started telling them about a servant he had met in Spades one named Heracles (who coincidentally was a servant at his own castle that he'd never met before coming to Spades). Alfred looked over to his brother. He recognized the look on his face instantly. Matthew was jealous. 

He still hadn't talked to Matthew about bonds. He doubted that Matthew even knew who he had bonded with. But the effect was obvious. Matthew had started out with a rattling cough, and eventually that had faded away to the period he was currently in: large temperature swings. He could freezing one moment and burning up the next. He was quieter than usual (which was saying quite a lot) and a bit slower with his reflexes. His strategies in battle training weren't working as well without his speed. Alfred was worried. Judging by how long Yao had lasted so far, Matthew still had plenty of time, but Alfred was scared. He didn't want his brother to die. 

If they got back to Earth, would the sickness go away?

If they got back to Earth, Arthur could die.

What if they brought Arthur with?

Then Spades would be crippled. 

There was no good solution. 

If Matthew went back and Alfred stayed, they might never see each other again. 

Alfred didn’t know what to do.

At least Yao didn’t seem to be getting too much worse. He was just constantly tired.

The eighth day. Alfred was woken in the middle of the night to shouts coming from down the hall. He hurried out in his nightshirt to find a small group of people gathered outside of Kiku’s room, trying to get in.

“Look out,” Alfred called. “I have a master key.” he had grabbed it from his locked drawer in case of emergency. He quickly opened Kiku’s door, his hand fumbling with urgency. Inside, Kiku was standing over a body. He looked up, covered in blood.

“He is an assassin,” Kiku said. “He snuck in and tried to kill me. He is from Clubs.”

“What?” Alfred said. A moment later, Arthur entered the room, a grim look on his face.

“It looks like you were right, Alfred,” he said. “They never moved from the port, but somehow this one managed to get on shore. Maybe even more enemies are here. We should get the body.”

Kiku moved to block them. “He is not dead,” he said. “I did not wound him in fatal places. I left him alive for questioning.”

“Smart,” Arthur said. “Once Ivan figured out that you and Feliciano came here, he probably left Hearts to find you. Maybe he wants to take out what he feels to be the strongest quarter of the Royal Court.”

“Arthur!” Alfred cried. “If Ivan wants to take out the Royal Court - I know Feliciano’s new, but if Ivan knew that he and Ludwig had bonded -”

Arthur paled. “Oh, bollocks,” he whispered.

“Let me through,” Kiku said. He ran off to Feliciano’s room, Alfred close behind. He could hear Arthur’s breaths behind him.

“Feliciano!” Kiku called. “Feli, are you there?”

There was no response.

“Here,” Alfred said, frantically trying to fit the key in the lock. After a moment, Arthur’s steady hands enveloped his and took the key, inserting it into the lock. They burst through the door.

Feliciano was lying on the bed. The sheets were all tangled around him. Kiku approached him quickly. 

“Feliciano?” he asked. “He does not look hurt, but he could be poisoned,” Kiku called back.

“Is he breathing?”

“Ve?” Feliciano made a small noise, stirring. He opened his eyes.

“Feliciano. Are you alright?”

He looked up, confused. “Yes, of course, I - Kiku! You’re covered in blood! What’s happened? What -”

“Someone attempted to take my life,” Kiku cut in. “So as soon as we realized that you might be in danger, we ran here. You may not be safe.”

“Feliciano should stay with Kiku tonight,” Arthur said. “So that you can protect him, and yourself. I will post a guard outside of your chambers. Other important members of Hearts should also gather together and be protected.”

Alfred shuddered. “This is so nerve-wracking.”

“Your Highness,” Kiku said. “Should you not also have a guard?”

“Alfred will protect me,” he said, nodding at Alfred. Alfred was surprised and filled with a sudden warmth. It felt so right to hear Arthur say that. He was right. Alfred would protect Arthur from everything. 

“Arthur, I -”

“Shh. Don’t, Alfred. Everyone, let’s go. Keep an eye out for murderous lurkers in the hallway.”

Alfred followed Arthur back to his rooms. “Are you sure that we don’t need a guard?”

Arthur looked at Alfred. “Are you saying that you will not protect me?”

“No,” Alfred growled immediately. “I will always - I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to beat an assassin on my own.”

“Alfred,” Arthur said, coming closer. Alfred didn’t back up, not even when Arthur’s clear green eyes were close enough that he could see the depth of them. “You have been training hard. I know. I trust you. Please do not mock or undermine that. I don’t give trust easily.”

Alfred looked down. “I know. I’m not trying to mock you. I want to make sure you’re safe. Even if that means admitting I need help.”

“You will be fine,” Arthur said. “Besides, I doubt that we will be attacked.”

“Why?”

Arthur shrugged. “They are probably going after Hearts.”

“Is Yao safe?”

Arthur shook his head. “I’m sure he’s fine with Li Xiao.”  
Alfred didn’t know what to say after that. He stood, somewhat awkwardly, looking around, as Arthur climbed back under his covers. He looked back to see Alfred still standing there.

“Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to sleep?” he said.

Alfred shrugged. “I don’t know where your extra blankets are,” he said lamely.

Arthur scoffed. “Oh, please.”

“What?” Alfred asked, trying to avoid saying the actual words. “I don’t.”

“Just bloody come here,” Arthur said grumpily, looking away. Alfred smiled. “I made you say it,” he teased.

“Do not make me change my mind,” Arthur said, still not looking at him. Alfred giggled.

“You know,” he said as he climbed into the bed. “If I could, right now I would be kissing your cheek and your neck and everywhere until I made you smile again. And then I’d keep going until you were laughing and trying to push me away. But I wouldn’t let you, I’d just grab you and hug you and eventually you’d give up trying to be grumpy.”

Arthur’s face softened a bit. “Well I suppose it is a good thing that you cannot, then.”

Alfred smiled and lay back on the bed. It was the best sleep he’d had in a week, no longer restless and shallow.

He woke up with his arms and legs tangled in Arthur’s. And Arthur’s sleepy eyes opened, and he didn’t pull away. They slept lightly for another hour, dozing off, falling in and out of consciousness. At one point, Arthur cuddled up against Arthur’s chest, thinking Alfred was asleep, perhaps. Alfred was content beyond words.

Until they had to get up and go down to lunch.


	6. The Castle of Spades (pt 4)

Arthur was sitting at the long table in the mess hall. Alfred was next to him, Kiku, Feliciano, and Yao across from him. Matthew was still in his room. The five were enjoying the meal. Nothing else had happened overnight, no other attacks had taken place. Alfred was teaching Feliciano how to eat a hamburger. Feliciano said that he preferred food from his Grandpa Roma.

Feliciano was getting a cough. And he was getting quieter. And Arthur was getting worried.

Everything happened very quickly. They heard shouts from the hallway, the sound of drawn swords, fighting. Alfred stood immediately and drew the sword that was now always at his side. Kiku stood as well, revealing two twin daggers that were hidden in the folds of his clothes. Feliciano was pale. Yao was trying to help. Arthur forced him to sit down and drew his own short sword.

The doors burst open and Ivan Braginsky himself strode in, blood dripping from his sword and his innocent eyes bright. Francis trailed behind him.

“Francis!” Arthur found himself shouting. “What the hell are you doing?”

Francis didn’t respond. He barely even looked at any of them. He seemed to be searching the room. He looked a mix between relieved and stressed (a hard feat).

“Hello,” Ivan said simply. “I’ve come at last. Your guards are strong, da?” he asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

Yao stood with a strangled gasp. Arthur ignored him, counting on Kiku and Alfred to protect the two omegas. Feliciano was shaking, terrified. Arthur grimaced, fighting past the overwhelming aura of masculinity and power radiating off of Ivan. He stepped forward slowly.

“How did you manage to get up here without leaving the ships?” Arthur asked.

Ivan laughed. “It was quite simple, really. We kept your attention on your main port and sailed around to the back of the country. It took a little longer for us to get there, and we had to travel overland to get to the castle, but I think it was worth it, da?

“Now,” he continued. “Let’s get down to business. Francis, you take care of the lovely Queen. I will take those two.”

Arthur had a moment before Francis approached him. He watched Ivan. He went for Alfred first, getting him out of the way first with a sharp kick to the gut that winded him terribly. Then Ivan went full force on Kiku.

Arthur turned back just as Francis’s silver blade came blurring down on him. He raised his blade to block, nearly falling backwards. He ducked under and behind Francis and kicked him in the back, sending him stumbling forward.

“Why, Francis?” he asked. “You bloody frog - why are you fighting by the side of a madman?”

Francis answered with another attack. “He is not mad,” Francis panted. “But it is not like I have much of a choice.”

“Of course you have a choice!” Arthur screamed with effort, shoving Francis back and going after him again.

“He is threatening my people if I do not cooperate!” Francis yelled back. “I will not have the entirety of Diamonds wiped out!”

“But you will let him destroy Hearts? And Spades?” Arthur countered, dodging another strike. He got the first blood, slashing Francis’s shoulder.

Francis stepped back unsteadily, holding his shoulder. “He doesn’t want to take over Spades. Or Hearts. He only wants one person.”

Arthur whipped back to look at the others. Feliciano was helping Alfred, who was lying dazed on the floor. Kiku was avoiding each of Ivan’s furious strikes. As Ivan turned, Kiku circling him to keep him from locking on a target, his eyes were filled with a terrifying passion.

Arthur felt the tip of a cold blade on his back, and Francis’s forearm encircled his throat. “Do not move. If you do, this blade will go through your back.”

“Francis,” Arthur whispered. “Please...”

“Just let him die,” Francis whispered in his ear. “It will all be over quicker if you do not interfere...”

“No!” Arthur screamed, throwing his elbow back and connecting. Francis jerked back from the impact. Arthur turned, grabbed his blade and twisted it around - wincing as it cut through his palms. He twisted it out of Francis’s grip. 

“I will not let my friend die,” Arthur said bitterly. 

He turned back to the others just as Ivan stuck his sword through Kiku’s shoulder. 

Arthur screamed. He tackled Ivan and rolled on top of him, getting him away so that Feliciano could help his Queen. Ivan grabbed Arthur’s shoulders and rolled him over so that Ivan was on top of him. He pulled a small dagger from his sleeve and grinned.

“It looks like two Queens will die today,” he said.

“No,” another voice said. Alfred lifted Ivan off of Arthur - displaying for the first time the full capabilities of his strength. “You aren’t killing my Queen,” Alfred said, a horrible look on his face. Arthur watched as Alfred slammed Ivan on to the ground, pulling back his sword to strike. 

“I’m going to kill you.”

“NOOO!” a terrible cry rang out through the hall. And Yao, of all people, shoved at Alfred’s shoulder, trying to get him away from Ivan. It worked, temporarily. Arthur’s jaw hung in shock.

Yao, a traitor?

“Do not kill him!” Yao pleaded. “Please, I beg you, do not kill him!”

Alfred stared, dumbfounded. “Yao?”

“Please,” he said, placing a hand on Alfred’s blade, slowly pushing it down. “Do not,” he said, a tear slipping down his face.

“Yao, what is going on?” Arthur said, his voice hard. He got up and brushed himself off.

“You cannot kill him,” he said. He didn’t take his eyes off of Alfred. Ivan didn’t take his eyes off of Yao. They were blatantly intense.

“Wait...” Arthur said. “Wait...”

Alfred’s eyes hardened. “Move aside, Yao, or I’ll kill you too.”

“Alfred, no!” Arthur cried.

“Either way I will die!” Yao shouted. “Is that what you want? Either way we both die! So just put me out of my misery now!”

“Huh?” Alfred asked. He didn’t get it.

“Alfred, lower your sword,” Arthur commanded.

“Now you too?” Alfred asked. “What is going on?”

“They have mated.” Arthur said. “If you kill Ivan, Yao will die.” 

And though he said the words, something was off... Why hadn’t Yao’s scent changed if they had mated? Perhaps it had, but not strongly, and Arthur simply had not noticed, caught up in everything...

Alfred looked back and forth between the two. “You...”

Yao nodded slowly.

“Yao -” Ivan said.

“Do not speak to me!” Yao exploded. “I am saving your life, not forgiving you for trying to kill my friends! For probably killing some of my friends who were guards! For starting a war for no reason!”

“But I had a reason,” Ivan said, surprised.

“Really? What was it then?” Yao asked, a bitter look on his face. 

Ivan looked around at everyone for a moment before he answered. “I thought it was obvious,” he said, seemingly confused.

“Yes, well it is not obvious to us,” Arthur said curtly. “So explain. Why did you attack Diamonds?”

Ivan blinked. “I needed them. To take on Hearts.”

“You needed them, specifically?” 

“Da. I did not want to attack Spades.”

“Why in the bloody eff not?”

“Because he is here,” Ivan said, nodding at Yao. “I did not want to cause him pain.”

“Wait - why did you want to attack Hearts?” Feliciano asked, approaching Ivan. As soon as Ivan fixed his eyes on Feliciano, he squeaked and jumped back.

“He is at the heart of the country,” Ivan said. “Kiku. I would not have been able to get to him without more strength. But when I discovered that he had been relocated to Spades, I had no choice but to come here. I took the path of least damage and came here myself to finish him off.”

“What do you have against me?” Kiku asked quietly.

“You bonded with Yao,” he said. 

“What?” Yao gasped. “I bonded with you!”

Ivan looked at him. “I did not know that.”

“What?”

“You slipped away for a while. When I found you again, you were with him, and both of your scents had changed from before. You both had developed the scent of a mental bond.”

Everyone looked at Yao and Kiku. Kiku spoke first. “That was the day I connected with Heracles for the first time,” he said. Yao was slightly red faced when he said, “I bonded with Ivan that day.”

“So it was all a huge coincidence?” Alfred asked, unbelieving.

Ivan seemed to be in shock. He was dazed. The reality of it all must finally have caught up to him.

“So you started a bloody war because you were jealous that someone else bonded with the guy you liked, and then it turned out that that didn’t even happen?” Arthur summed up. “That is insane.”

The side door opened and Matthew slipped in, talking as he entered. “They said that Ivan broke in, I came as fast as I -”

He broke off when he saw the scene. But when his eyes landed on Francis, his whole face changed. Francis moved towards him immediately. Matthew took a few steps forwards as well, but more slowly. As soon as Francis got to him, he kissed Matthew deeply, his fingers tangling in Matthew’s hair.

“No,” Arthur said loudly. “You bonded with Matthew?”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Alfred shouted. “Step back from the brother.”

Francis broke apart from Matthew, leaving the poor omega completely dazed and flushed. “Why else do you think I was so urgent to get him out of Diamonds? Ivan held me prisoner by threatening to kill Mathieu. He has spies here.”

“Francis -” Matthew said.

“I am sorry, mon coeur, I did not mean to leave you,” Francis said.

“There is so much going on right now,” Alfred said wistfully. “I just wanted lunch.”

He walked over to Francis, picked him up, and tiredly carried him a few feet away. “You will stay at least this far from my brother at all times, thank you,” he said. “Ivan can go to the dungeons. And I’m going to go finish my hamburger. In peace.”

Arthur nearly laughed.

~

Ivan was placed in a cell. But when Arthur woke the next morning, he was gone. He didn’t try anything else. He kept peace. Yao went over to stay for a week every month. Cards went back to normal. Matthew stayed with Francis in Diamonds, but he and Alfred wrote letters constantly and saw each other often.

A month after that strange day when all of the truth came out, Arthur went to Alfred with one specific thought on his mind.

“You need to go home,” Arthur said.

“What?” Alfred said.

“The war is over. I know you miss it. I know you’ve talked to Matthew.” he said. If he didn’t think about it too much, it didn’t hurt.

"I didn't think you wanted me to leave." He sounded hurt. Arthur bit his lip. 

"Alfred, if you want me to make this harder on myself, I won't. I know you're going to leave whether I beg you to stay or not. So I won't throw myself down at your feet."

"I wasn't..."

"Alfred. Just don't." He couldn’t think of anything else to say. So he turned away.

Arthur left to go find Yao. He was doing much better now that he saw Ivan on a regular basis. 

"Yao?" Arthur asked, knocking at the open door. "Could you do something for me?"

Yao looked up from his desk. "Of course."

"Write a letter to Ivan. I need him or someone to search his castle for the door back to Alfred's world. Write to Francis as well."

"I will do that..." Yao said, reaching for a piece of parchment. "Right now."

"Thank you." Arthur said. He turned back and left. He walked down the hall a little ways, but after a minute, he sat against the wall with his head between his knees. 

Kiku ended up being alright. The stab was fairly shallow and he had kept pressure on it for long enough. Feliciano was shaken but okay. But Arthur just felt scared. He didn’t want to suffer. Especially not a slow and painful sickness. One that never went away. 

When it all got to be too much, perhaps he’d just finish it himself.


	7. The Wild Sea

When Arthur told Alfred that he had to leave, he was crushed. 

He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to leave anymore... and what would happen to Arthur? But two days later, word came from Clubs. Roderich had found the door. And they were willing to let Alfred and Matthew go through, as long as they came unarmed and unaccompanied. Alfred would have to say goodbye to Arthur in Spades.

When he did say goodbye, it was hard. Alfred didn’t want to say goodbye. Arthur wouldn’t look at him until the end. Alfred wanted to kiss him so bad, but he refrained from doing so. Arthur would hate him forever.

It hurt to think about it. As Alfred looked out over the waves, back to Spades’ shore, he imagined that Arthur was there, watching him leave. He blinked tears out of his eyes that blew away with the wind and sea-spray.

Matthew and him walked silently together up the long hills to Clubs’ castle. They reached the mountain pass as the stars came out, and stopped there for the night. They worked together to set up a fire and a safe shelter. Alfred pretended not to notice as Matthew softly cried himself to sleep.

Alfred didn’t sleep so easily as his brother.

He stayed up for a while, examining the stars up above him. They were different from Earth’s. The galaxies were clear. There was no pollution to block out the beauty. The light was a beautiful blue falling down onto them. Alfred couldn’t help but think about how Arthur had probably memorized the names of every constellation and all of the important stars and the stories behind them. He probably even knew that the cousin of the guy that had named one of them was a drunkard that once created a very inappropriate poem and ran around at three in the morning screaming it at the top of his lungs.

Alfred laughed, but it was without heart. It was almost more of a cough than a laugh.

The next morning, Matthew had to shake Alfred awake. They packed up somewhat groggily and started into the mountain pass. The cliffs were high around them, shading them from the sun. The ground was hard rock with some sparse grasses here and there. Once, a strange birdlike animal crossed their path, scrounging for some food.  
After a while, Alfred noticed a change in their surroundings. The ground beneath their feet was becoming more wet, the plants became greener and more varied. Soon, a little stream was running beside their feet. The sound of water trickling between what became river rocks soothed Alfred.

The valley opened up and the stream extended into a river, then a lake. Small waterfalls trickled down from the cliffs, probably runoff from the mountains. 

The castle was in the middle of a wet marsh, with raised rows of dryer ground wiring all over. Flowers were everywhere. The most common one surprised Alfred. He hadn’t expected to see sunflowers in Cards.

Clubs was gorgeous.

The outside of the castle walls were all made of some type of reflective material. Comparing the blurred mix of bright colors on the castle walls to Spades’ stony fortress, Clubs’ castle was positively cheerful.

A man with dark brown hair and glasses greeted them. He led them through the castle, past inquisitive servants, and up to a secluded chamber. Alfred then saw the same doors that had sent him to Cards in the first place. As he examined them, Matthew hugged the unfamiliar Jack. He must’ve been really emotional.

This is it, he thought.

Alfred took Matthew’s hand. “We’ll go through together, so we don’t get separated.” Matthew simply nodded, avoiding his brother’s eyes.

“Good luck,” the man said. Alfred nodded at him, sending a quick smile in his direction.

“Send my best to Arthur,” he said. 

“And mine to Francis,” Matthew said immediately.

Alfred reached out, his fingers sliding over the grooves in the wood. He pushed the door open and the two slipped through.

That was when everything went black.

~

When Alfred woke up, he was groggy and dazed. He couldn’t process very well. His mind was stuck in a loop, going through the same sentence over and over again, unable to get past it.

I have to remember the maple syrup. 

Maple syrup. Maple syrup. Alfred didn’t know why it was important. But when the face descended over him, speaking in slow tones, vibrating in his ear, all Alfred could say was, “Maple syrup.”

Soft laughter entered his ears, his brain starting to catch up with his surroundings. He groaned. Maple syrup. Alfred would never hear the end of that from Matthew...

Matthew. Where was Matthew? Alfred opened his eyes once again, unaware that they had fallen shut. Matthew was there, soft yellow waves falling into his face. Yellow... Yellow made him think of sunflowers...

Alfred shot up with a scream. Immediately everyone in the room was all over him, trying to get him back down, trying to make him relax. Alfred refused to. He fought back, punching arms and kicking legs. He connected with someone’s face and they recoiled. Suddenly, a stinging pain entered one of his arms. Alfred stopped moving, looked down. There was a needle in his arms. Alfred hated needles...

The second time he woke, it was quicker. And quieter. He was the only one in the room. There was a scrap of paper lying on his arm.

Alfie -- I went out to change and grab a soda. I’ll be back soon, please don’t worry. I promise I’ll explain what happened as soon as I come back. Please, you can trust the doctors and the nurses. They won’t hurt you. I love you.  
Mattie

Alfred blinked. He wanted Matthew right now. His heart hurt and his head hurt too and he wanted his brother.

He took all of the disgusting needles out of his body and tried to get up, but he ended up flopping over and rolling off of the bed. He landed on his knees and got up again, leaning heavily on the bed next to him. When he got to the hallway, it was empty. White. Grey. Lonely. Alfred continued his search for his brother. Was the hallway supposed to be spinning around?

He fell to his knees, legs unsteady. He had to find Matthew - where was he? Where was he?

The third time he woke, he wasn’t out of it anymore.

Matthew was with him this time. Just Matthew.

“Alfie,” he said immediately, getting to his feet. “How are you?”

Alfred shook his head. “I’m alright, I guess.”

“I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you last time,” he said. “I left you a note...”

“I read it,” Alfred assured him. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Are you okay?”

“What happened to me?”

Matthew hesitated before answering. “Well, um, when we... when we went through the door, we kind of fell. The room was spinning and I felt a little dizzy. When I looked back up, you were on the ground. I had thought that you fell because you were dizzy too, but your eyes were closed - then I thought you hit your head. But you kept not waking up. I ran out and your Professor and everyone were still there. Alfred, I don’t think that barely any time passed while we were gone. I had left you outside that staircase, you know? But anyways we came back to get you and then we brought you to the hospital.”

“Oh,” Alfred said. He looked around. No windows. That sucked. “So how long have I been out of it?”

Matthew looked down, twisting the hem of his sweatshirt. “Um. Well. A few weeks,” he said, quieter than before.

“A few weeks?” Alfred cried. “What? How -”

“I have a theory,” he continued softly. “When I first arrived in... in Spades, I blacked out too. For a couple of weeks. Were you dizzy when you first got there?”

“Yeah.”

“Then that’s probably it. This time we just switched. And you probably were out of it for longer because of all of the drugs they were giving you.”

“Where are we?”

“In a hospital. In London.”

“How are we supposed to get home?”

“Your Professor agreed to pay for the trip back. All I have to do is call her.”

“Wow,” Alfred said. “My professor is the greatest.”

“She’s nice.” Matthew said. Then he coughed.

He coughed.

“Mattie!” Alfred cried. “You’re not -”

Matthew looked up, startled. “What?”

“You’re coughing,” Alfred said lamely.

“Oh,” he said. “Don’t worry. I just swallowed wrong.” Alfred took a deep breath, relieved.

The only smell that filled his nose was stale hospital air.

“I can’t remember what he smelled like,” Alfred said. Matthew met his eyes.

“Me either.”

~

Alfred wasn’t used to being on a plane. He had only traveled on a ship three times in Cards, but it was enough. Flying took less time. And there was less swaying. 

Matthew had taken a different flight - back to his home with their mother in Canada. They had said goodbye in the airport. Matthew cried. Alfred didn’t. He felt parched dry of tears. He promised Mattie that they’d see each other again soon. For certain this time.

His small apartment. Too small. It felt so lonely...

Alfred went back to his first class since getting back. Professor Violet asked him a question, one to remind the rest of the class of his once hilarious answer. It was like an inside joke. They all waited, expecting his cheeky grin and sarcastic response. Alfred took a deep breath, searched his head for the answer. All that came to mind was the name of Spades’ fifth king.

He looked away, face burning.

Alfred used to be the life of the class. History was interesting, easy. Now he couldn’t keep it in his head. It slipped away like water. The only things that stuck were from Cards.

Professor Violet kept him after class on the fourth day.

“Alfred, did something happen in England? If this keeps up you could fail my class.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. He couldn’t say anything else.

“Do you want to talk about what’s wrong?”

Alfred shook his head. “I don’t think I should take this class anymore.”

“But Alfred, you’ve always done so well -”

“That was before,” he said. He felt bad for interrupting her, but he didn’t apologize. “Now I don’t think I should take it anymore.”

Professor Violet was quiet for a while.

“Why don’t you stick with it,” she said. “Just until the end of the year. Then we can talk about if you want to register again in the fall or not.”

Alfred didn’t answer. He didn’t know if he could even handle that.

“Thank you for the plane tickets,” he said, standing. “And the hospital bills. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Take care of yourself, Alfred,” she said as he left.

His apartment was too clean. It was almost like he didn’t even live there anymore. Too many times, Alfred found himself staring at the walls. Pacing around, unsure of what he was just going to do. He didn’t get much sleep anymore.

A month after his return home, he got a voice mail. From his mother.

His mother never called.

“Hello, Alfred.” It said. “It’s Laura. I know we haven’t spoken much for the past few years...”

At all, Alfred thought.

“But... I’m sorry. There’s a reason I’m calling. I thought you might want to know. Matthew’s in the hospital. He...” Laura took in a deep, shaky breath. “He’s really sick...”

Alfred was online before he even knew it, ordering the soonest ticket possible to Matthew. He grabbed a backpack, stuffed in his phone, clothes, food.

And for the second time, he was on a plane.

Matthew was sleeping when Alfred got there. His eyes were red rimmed. One of his wrists was wrapped in a white bandage.

“Oh, Mattie...” Alfred said. Apparently Matthew wasn’t as asleep as he’d seemed. He opened his eyes. The words tumbled out of his mouth.

“Alfie I don’t know what’s wrong with me but my wrist was itching like crazy and i just felt so itchy everywhere and I just... -”

“Matthew, stop.” Alfred commanded. “It’s okay. As long as you don’t do it again, it’s okay.”

“I’m sick, Alfie,” he whispered. “They don’t know what’s wrong with me. But my cough came back. And now I’m cold and I was burning up before and it’s bad.”

“Oh...” Alfred said. “Oh, Mattie...”

It looked like the process was speeding up back on Earth. What had taken weeks for Arthur to develop back in Spades had passed Matthew by in a few days.

Neither of them spoke. They just looked into each others’ eyes, a fresh bout of tears slipping down Matthew’s cheeks.

“Where is Laura?” Alfred asked.

“She thought you probably wouldn’t want to see her. She’s not here.”

Alfred looked down. “Who cares if I didn’t want to see her. She shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“Alfred -”

“She just keeps making the wrong choices. It’s not helping me like her.”

Matthew looked down, scratching absentmindedly at his wrist. “You have to remember that she can’t make the choices you would want her to without ever seeing you. She doesn’t know what you like.”

Alfred shrugged. “Are you doing well?”

Matthew nodded. “Better. They’re letting me go in a couple of hours. And they’re moderating my use of sharp objects. They want me to live with supervision for a while. Besides Mom. She isn’t always home. I was thinking, maybe...”

Matthew trailed off, looking hopefully up at his brother. Alfred smiled. 

“You want to come live with me?” he asked. Matthew nodded.

“If it isn’t too much of a problem -”

“It’s no problem at all,” Alfred said. “I’d like for my bro to come hang out for a while. We can watch scary movies.”

“You’ll have nightmares,” Matthew reminded him.

“I will not,” Alfred said airily. Matthew chuckled.

Matthew wasn’t chuckling when he walked into Alfred’s apartment.

“It’s so clean,” he said, looking around. “I’ve never seen it this clean in all the time you’ve had it. Even when it was empty it didn’t look this clean.”

“Oh,” Alfred said. “Yeah. Um...”

Matthew set himself up in a corner of the living room. He, as usual, made himself a nest. Alfred sat on his bed with the door closed and the blinds shut. He sat for a long time.

When he came out it was past midnight. Matthew was curled up in his little nest of blankets and pillows. Alfred took the quilt from the couch and settled himself next to his brother. Just like they used to do when they were kids. Alfred slept easier that night.

~

“What do you mean, you’re quitting your history class?” Matthew said. “You love history! You’ve always loved history!”

Alfred rubbed the back of his neck, breathing a cloud of vapor into the cold air. “It’s just not working anymore.”

“What’s not working?” Matthew asked. He was using his ‘you’re bullcrapping me’ voice.

“I can’t keep it straight anymore! It won’t stay put in my head anymore.” Alfred said, refusing to look at his brother. A light layer of snow crunched under his boots as he walked. Matthew, somehow, was walking more quietly than him.

“History has always been the easiest for you,” Matthew said suspiciously.

“Fine. I’ll say it. I can’t remember any of our histories. I know the basic stuff. But if someone asked me which president first owned the presidential desk, all that would come up in my brain would be how the tenth queen of Spades once broke a writing desk while arm wrestling her king.”

Matthew didn’t say anything but a soft, “Oh.” Then, “Ohhh.”

Alfred held his head in his hands, plopping down onto the couch that sagged underneath him. “After all of that cramming for Spades it’s all that I can remember,” he said. “I don’t know why.”

Matthew nodded. “When I was in Clubs, I was having trouble believing and remembering everything Roderich told me. Maybe we’re supposed to act as opposites with all of this.”

One. Roderich. The Jack of Clubs? Since when was Matthew chummy with him? And was that why he had hugged him before they left Clubs? 

Two. Opposites.

Was that really true? It made sense, certainly. Did that mean Alfred would be tortured with his extensive knowledge of Spades for the rest of his life?

That brought back the thought that Matthew wouldn’t live as long as he.

Alfred had thought the omega/alpha crap would go away when they got back. And apparently some of it did, but not all of it. The bonds’ effect remained. And Matthew was getting sicker, and no doctors could figure out why.

What if Alfred could send Matthew back to Cards?

He’d have a tough time telling people where his brother had gone, but if he could get Matthew back, he wouldn’t die. And better yet, he knew that the door would end up in Diamonds, with Francis. It had already been in the other three countries: Hearts, then Spades, then Clubs. 

It was becoming clear that no matter what, Alfred and Matthew would have to be separated. 

~

Alfred left his history class discouraged. His grades were slipping. His classmates were noticing that something was off. To cheer himself up, he visited a local little bakery in campus. 

He bought himself a donut and sat down to eat it with his notes. He had never had to take notes in history before, but now he had to decipher his frantic scribbling strewn across the page. 

"What are you doing here?" A deep voice asked. Alfred looked up into the face of one of the most interesting men he had ever met. The one who was talking to him had straight blonde hair - and it was long. Alfred tired not to react, but he was startled and confused and long hair on a non-hippie like person was not helping. 

"Um... Eating a donut?" Alfred said. The man didn't seem satisfied.

"Come with me," he said. He pulled Alfred away from his donut. Alfred cried out.

The man dragged Alfred out to the side of the bakery and pushed him up against the wall. Alfred kicked and struggled, trying to get away, shouting. “Please don’t rape me I’m not worth it please!”

“Calm down, kid!” he hissed, covering Alfred's mouth with a firm hand. “I am not going to hurt you.”

Alfred slowed down. “Oh... you’re not?”

“No,” the man said. “Now tell me. Why are you here?”

“I don’t understand, sir, I don’t know who you are or anything -”

“Why are you here, boy, here! Why did you leave your kingdom?”

Alfred gaped at the man in front of him. He knew about Cards? But how... Was he the one that had gone there sixty years ago? Arthur had mentioned something about that. Alfred examined the man. He didn’t look that old...

It still hurt thinking about Arthur.

“Well?” the man pressed.

Alfred heaved a sigh. “I wasn’t supposed to be the king there. It was always a temporary thing. Matthew and I just wanted to come back home.”

The man looked at him with disapproving eyes. “You abandoned your country because you wanted to come back here? Tell me boy, are you happy? Did you find what you wanted here? Do not lie.”

Alfred avoided his eyes. He refused to speak. The man seemed to take that as a response on it’s own.

“You are not happy. How long have you been here?” he asked.

“Two months-ish,” he responded quietly, mumbling the words. He pushed his glasses up as they slipped down his nose.

“You need to go back. You belong there. I don’t know who this Matthew is, but I know that if the spade clocks chose you, you are from that world. It is impossible for one to become a member of the Royal Court without being born in Cards.”

“What?” Alfred gasped. His head reeled. “But... I was born here, in a Mayo Hospital. I know, my dad told me -” Alfred broke off. He really didn’t want to think about his dad.

“You have no memories of that time,” the man countered strongly. “You do not know if he lied to you.”

“Why would he -” Alfred protested. Then he paused. “You still haven’t told me who you are.”

“I am known by many names,” the man said. “But you can call me Alaric Beilschmidt.”

Alfred froze, barely breathing. “Beilschmidt.”

There was a small twinkle in Alaric’s eye. “I see you have met my grandson.”

“Both of them... Ludwig and Gilbert are your grandsons?”

Alaric nodded. “Yes. Does that surprise you?”

Alfred blurted out without thinking. “You don’t look that old.”

Alaric let out a wry smile. “Yes, well. That is part of being an ace. We age slowly.”

Alfred’s eyes widened. “An ace? Arthur never told me anything about that.”

Alaric nodded. “There are two aces. I was visiting the other one, who lives in Hearts with... well his grandsons used to live with him. However, I was visiting him when I heard of Spades’ new King. I went up to the castle and I saw you, but you did not see me. I returned to Earth after a long time away. And then I saw you.”

Alfred blinked. 

“You must return to Spades. Trust me. If you do not, bad things may happen. I do not know how much time has passed there, but I can tell you -”

“Wait, what do you mean,” Alfred interrupted. “How much time? It’s been two months, hasn’t it?”

Alaric glared at Alfred. “Time flows differently in different worlds, boy. That’s why you need to hurry.”

Alfred shook his head. “Look, sir, I’m not sure that I want to go back.”

“You know what I think? I think you’d be happier here than there. Let me give you a suggestion. Give yourself a week or two to tie up loose ends, clear up regrets and such. If you do that you can leave here in peace. Bring anything you need with. It’ll make it easier. But don’t wait too long.”

Then Alaric turned and walked away. When Alfred blinked, he was gone.

Alfred took Alaric’s advice.

He didn’t mean to, really - he found himself saying little goodbyes to classmates, leaving notes to professors, calls to friends he never texted back. He even sent a letter to Laura. He didn’t intend to go back. Not really.

But he flew over with Matthew, and he brought a few more things than he had intended - research he had done on airplanes, and stoves, and electric lights and irrigation systems and such. More.

Matthew didn't know that Alfred wasn’t going through the doors. At least, he didn't know for sure. Matthew had a strong intuition. It was very possible that he'd already figured it out. Matthew only started protesting when they reached the church. He didn't even stop walking. 

"I can't leave you alone." He said. 

"I can't keep you here and watch you suffer," Alfred returned harshly. He wanted to take it back the moment he said it. Matthew didn't respond. He hung his head, watching his feet as they walked. 

"I'm sorry," Alfred said. Matthew stayed silent. The guilt grew in Alfred's gut. 

There was no one around. They got to the doors easily. Matthew walked forward, reaching a hand out. 

"Wait!" Alfred called. "I'll miss you, bro. Maybe I'll come and see you."

Matthew paused for a moment. Then, suddenly, he turned into a flurry of flying limbs and tackled Alfred. Alfred planted his foot back, trying not to fall backwards. Matthew buried his face in Alfred's neck for a moment. Just a moment. Then just as abruptly, he pulled away and pushed open the door, gripping the strap of his side bag tightly. He disappeared behind the wood. 

Alfred stood alone for a moment in the stone room. The silence buzzed in his ears. 

As he turned to leave, something caught his eye. The door had been left slightly ajar. On the other side, someone stood. 

"Arthur?" Alfred gasped. He could barely see a sliver of Arthur through the gap. Suddenly he was so close, so entirely close - and Arthur looked so devastated, and Alfred couldn't stand the thought -

He broke into a run, pushing through the door and actually tripped on his own feet, spilling to the ground. He whipped his head up immediately, not even caring that he had embarrassed himself -

There was nobody there. 

Alfred was alone. 

There were windows in this room. Alfred got up, noticing that he hadn't had that spell of dizziness from before. He went to look out the window. He was high up, just like before. 

But he wasn't in Spades. 

He wasn't in Hearts, either. 

And he knew that this wasn't the valley that Clubs was situated in. 

No, this wasn't right - Matthew should be in Diamonds, not Alfred. They had planned this, it was supposed to have worked out perfectly - so why hadn't it? Why wasn't Matthew in Diamonds?

And where in Cards was he?


	8. The Castle of Spades (pt 5)

After Alfred left, Arthur felt it. He felt the exact moment that he was gone - just gone. It was like a piece of Arthur left. The piece that held Alfred.

He went back to business as usual. Helping Yao with business of the state, paying visits to the citizens. But his free time was a void. He went down the kitchens, didn’t feel like baking. He went out to his garden, but didn’t feel like reading. Everywhere he went corresponded with something he didn’t want to do.

He spent most of his free time in his garden, just sitting. After a few days, he started getting bored sitting in the same place every day. He began walking around the plants and noticed how dry and withered they were. He wondered why - the servants would never have let flowers die like this. 

Then he remembered - he had asked them not to water these plants. He had wanted to do it himself. So much for that. 

He found an old, rusted watering can lying half buried in the dirt. He picked it up, roots and loose earth cascading down. 

He found a pipe in one of the walls close to the railing and pumped the handle. Clear water flowed out steadily. At least the pump was in good shape. 

He went around flooding the gardens with water. He wasn't sure how much the plants would need after so long without. 

"You're gardening," a young voice said in surprise. 

"Peter," Arthur said. "You are back."

"Hi." He said. "I brought a desperate fool."

"Objection," another voice said. Gilbert. 

"I knew he was a fool, desperate is new," Arthur said, standing straight from examining a certain flower's spotty leaves. "What is it?"

Gilbert stepped forward. "Is there a way to stop being a joker?" He asked. 

Arthur whipped around. "What?" He asked, startled. "Why are you asking me?"

Gilbert shrugged. "I'm desperate."

Arthur shook his head. "I am guessing that if you stopped being a joker you would die."

Gilbert nodded grimly. "I was hoping that you wouldn't say that."

"What else do you want me to say?" Arthur asked. "If you want to quit, you have to find another person at the perfect time."

Gilbert ran his hand through his hair. "I want to become a regular person again. That's what I want."

Arthur became curious. Gilbert sounded so sad. 

"Gilbert, have you fallen in love with someone?" He asked. 

Gilbert glared at Arthur, his red eyes piercing. "Maybe. Have you?"

Arthur looked away. 

"You would do better to talk to Yao about this," Arthur said after a moment. "He has studied magic. Or you could travel to the ice villages in Clubs. There are people that live there who live by magic and charms."

Gilbert shuddered. "Ugh, the Ice Straight. Wind goes right through you. Feels horribly hollow."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you," Arthur said. "I hope you find a way. Ludwig would be happy to see you again."

"I’ll go speak to Yao now," Gilbert said. "Thanks."

Arthur continued watering his flowers. He even found a sunhat with a wide floppy brim. 

He wondered if there was a way to get into Alfred's world. 

No. No way. Arthur couldn't abandon his kingdom. Alfred had already done that. 

The spade clocks didn't seem to realize that, however. Instead of lazily roaming around, one hand was fixed on Arthur. The other was spinning wildly, randomly, as if searching for its King. As if it couldn't figure out where he was. Arthur didn't understand why. Alfred was gone. He wasn't the king anymore. 

Unless it was waiting for him to die...

In that case, the clocks would be broken for a long time. Unless they started working again if Arthur inducted a new King... There were so many things Arthur didn't know. Even after a few years of co-ruling with Yao. 

“Arthur,” a voice said. “It is time to go.”

Yao was at the door.

“Go?” Arthur asked. He racked his brain for a reason why they would be leaving. And wasn’t Yao supposed to be talking to Gilbert right about now? What was going on?

"I have not mentioned it much," Yao said. "There were already many things you were worried about. There is a court meeting tomorrow on Deck Isle. Everything is prepared."

Arthur stared at Yao in dismay. "I do not have anything prepared for speaking."

Yao looked smug. "Did I not just say that we have prepared everything? I did not want you to be stressed. You can look over the draft on the ship."

Arthur sighed. "I am not mentally prepared for a court meeting. If I break down, please try to cover my embarrassment and get me out of there straight away."

Yao gave a short bow, his silky ponytail slipping over his shoulder and hanging towards the ground. Arthur's eyes were drawn to it; it caught the light of the sun and glinted amber. 

"As you wish," he said. "Court meetings are typically stressful. I will do my best to keep the atmosphere calm."

Arthur was shuffled onto a ship a few minutes later, yawning and wondering where Gilbert had got to. He settled himself quite comfortably in a pile of ropes between a few barrels and boxes. He started going over the parchment that Yao had given him, but soon, the rocking of the ship that made many others sick to their stomachs lulled Arthur to sleep. 

He didn't open his eyes until night had fallen and people were busy unloading the ship. Li Xiao shook him out of a drowsy state, the workmen quietly moving around him to collect supplies. Even half asleep, Arthur moved away quickly. He hadn't meant to be a burden. He sat on an empty space on the deck and metaphorically rubbed his eyes. In reality he barely moved, nearly falling back to sleep. 

"Come, Arthur," Yao whispered. "We will get you into a bed. It will be more comfortable."

Arthur groaned. He really didn't want to do anything. Especially not be here, where tomorrow he'd have to stand and recite a speech he barely knew. Court was so annoying. 

Nevertheless, he stood with Yao and walked with him to the rooms where they would be stayed. Deck Isle was small, and there were only a few houses there - five. Even if they were somewhat large. One was for Hearts, one for Spades, one for Diamonds, one for Clubs. The last was for the aces. If they ever showed up. Arthur had never met one. Nor had he met anyone who had met an ace. They were mostly legend. 

Deck Isle was an island in the center of the Wild Sea. Its land was completely neutral. If blood was spilled on that island, it resulted in an immediate dethroning of those involved, no questions asked. 

Arthur had barely had half an hour to go over his paper before the Court began. Roderich, as usual, directed it, as he was the least likely to kill someone. 

"Now," he said. "Does anyone have any topics that they believe affects the entirety of Cards?"

Francis stood. "Yes, I believe I do," he said smoothly. "An uncountable amount of damage has been done to my country because of him," he said, pointing to Ivan. "My people are in poverty. Homes have been burnt down. I believe compensation is owed."

Roderick stood. "The incident has been noted and will be returned to at later notice," he said. "Is there anything else anyone has to say at all?"

Arthur stood. "I have something that I am merely pointing out. I do not need discussion on this topic. We are required to report whenever political changes occur in our country. I am once again searching for a King." Arthur's face heated up slightly and he marveled at the fact that he was able to maintain polite speech at this level of tiredness. 

Ludwig stood. "I will report also. We have found a Jack, though I am sure you already know of this." Under his breath, he whispered to the small boy sitting beside him. "Feliciano, stand now."

Feliciano stood up beside his King, smiling brightly. "Hello!" He said. “May the aces find favor in you!”

“And in you as well,” came the murmured reply. Feliciano looked to Ludwig for direction, then sat down.

Arthur saw Francis mumbling something to Vasch. His jack chuckled quietly and Arthur felt a tight coil twisting in his gut.

Roderich stood again. “Thank you. Is there anything else?”

No one spoke.

“Alright. Francis, Ivan and I will discuss with you what compensation is fair and what is needed for you and your country. Spades and Hearts, you are dismissed.”

“Vasch will take care of the details,” Francis said dismissively. “I have other business that needs urgent attention.”

Roderich nodded.

Arthur was walking towards the doors when he heard Francis call his name.

Gritting his teeth, he turned back to see the tall man sashaying towards him. Honestly. Sashaying. Why did he have to do that all of the time?

“What do you want?” Arthur growled.

“It saddens me to see how hard you are working. Trying to find a new King while managing to rule a country alone must be hard on you,” Francis said, pretending to be sympathetic. Arthur could see the mocking in his eyes. So this was what he wanted to talk about.

“You must be really terrible if you could not even keep Alfred here.”

Arthur’s vision went red. He didn’t care that Francis’s confidence was overwhelming his senses, urging him to back down, he didn’t care that people were around. He didn’t even care that they were on Deck Isle. He threw himself at Francis with a shout and tackled him to the ground, punching his face again and again. It took Ludwig and Yao to drag him away.

As Kiku helped Francis up, Arthur shouted profanities at him. But as he was dragged away, the worst came to mind, and he hoarsely screamed it without hesitating. 

“You must be worse if you couldn’t keep that pathetic Matthew in your bed!”

Ludwig pulled him harder, taking him single handedly out the doors of the Court building and throwing him onto the grass.

“What were you thinking?” he yelled. “You could be removed from the throne.”

“I don’t care,” Arthur gasped. “I don’t care. He deserved it. He deserved more. The slimy little bastard -”

Yao messed with his ponytail nervously. “I did not believe that Francis would say that,” he said. “He is not the best person, but I can not believe it.”

“What did he say?” Ludwig demanded. Both Arthur and Yao shrank back.

“He said that Arthur must be terrible in bed if Alfred chose to leave him,” Elizaveta Hedervary said, coming down the stairway from the building. “I couldn’t believe it either.”

Ludwig’s jaw tightened. “I thought it would be something of the sort, given Arthur’s response... you are correct. That is not like Francis.”

Arthur breathed in heavily, attempting to control himself. “That bloody bastard... As soon as we get off of this bloody island I swear I’m going to sink his ship. Not only did he mock me, but he insulted Alfred as well... that went bloody below the ground that the belt was standing on.” he mumbled on to himself, unaware that several pairs of eyes were watching him steam.

~

“You really tore up your knuckles,” Yao said, wrapping a bandage around the tender skin. “I am surprised that you did not break a bone. Or several.”

Arthur glared at the floor. “Why didn’t you let me kill him?” he asked. “I really would have.”

“No,” Yao said. “You would have been dragged away and removed of your status. Probably exiled as well. And Spades would be in trouble without a King or Queen. You must think of your country.”

“I’m thinking of Alfred,” Arthur muttered. “All the bloody time, thinking of Alfred...”

The Spades Court left quickly that day. The others had agreed not to speak a word of what had happened, lest the citizens cry for Arthur’s removal. They had agreed that the attack was sufficiently provoked, even if they weren’t supposed to let those things slide.

Arthur just wanted to be back home in his garden. He was beginning to grow rather a liking for the little rows of plants. They were beginning to look a bit greener - unless that was just him hoping. Maybe plants couldn’t look greener after only a few minutes. Arthur didn’t know. He didn’t know a lot about plants.

He got back to his garden quicker than expected - winds were strong and the ship sped through the ocean. The rocking of the wide ship reminded Arthur of how Alfred had spun and tripped around the deck. Alfred had terrible sea legs. Arthur had learned at a young age how to hold his own against a ship...

He spent a lot of time in his garden, even if his hands were sore and stiff for a while. Over the next few weeks, the head gardener found out about Arthur’s struggle and helped him replant the plants. It took a while for the little green shoots to stick up, and the weeds were nasty and persistent - but Arthur was proud of his little terrace garden. He knew it would turn out to be amazing. He was even better at gardening than he was at cooking (no comment from Yao, he noted).

But his garden also marked the passage of time. The end of summer was approaching. Soon it would be autumn and the seasonal shift of power would turn to Spades (not that Spades needed any more power - even without a King, Spades was the most powerful country. They all had their trademarks). And the clocks were still confused, and they still didn’t have a King, and Alfred was still gone. Arthur was getting sick. He had all the symptoms. He knew it would only get worse as the time stretched on.

Arthur wondered if he’d ever see him again.


	9. The Palace of Diamonds

Alfred was panicking. A lot. He needed to get Matthew back to Francis. But this was all wrong. All of it. Something had to have happened...

He left the room and wandered around the halls until he found someone. A servant. He asked to speak to Francis. He was allowed to - but only after he'd been locked up in a cell and his bag had been taken from him. 

Francis entered the room. When he saw Alfred, he was surprised, but he smiled nonetheless. "Alfred," he said. "What are you doing here?"

Alfred shrugged. "Can you get me out of here?"

"Of course, mon ami," Francis unlocked the cell door and let Alfred out. "Please, tell me everything."

They settled themselves in a sort of parlor room before Alfred began the summarized version of what had happened. 

"Matthew got sick fast, so I was bringing him back to Cards. He went through the doors and I was going to stay back, but then I thought I saw... something and I went through. But Matthew was supposed to end up here. We had it all figured out. I don't know what went wrong and I don't know where he is. I have to find him."

Francis nodded slowly. "So the bonds were not broken, even between worlds. I had heard rumor of Arthur's illness, but I was not sure if it was true -"

"Arthur's sick?" Alfred said, worry filling him to the brim. "I can't go to him right away, I have to figure out where Matthew turned up and get him back to you."

"Why were you so certain he would come here?" Francis asked curiously. 

"Arthur told me that before I showed up, the door was in Hearts," Alfred explained. "Then when I got here, it was in Spades. Matthew moved it to Clubs. The one that comes next is Diamonds."

Francis shook his head. "The door does not work like that. It does not have an order. Sometimes it even stays in the same place twice. Occasionally, it disappears altogether. Sweet Matthieu could be anywhere," he sighed. 

Alfred shook his head. "Okay, no more lovey dovey crap in front of me. Not about my brother. But of course if I ever catch you with anyone else I'll make you less of a man." He winked menacingly. "If you know what I mean. That's just a given."

Francis visibly shuddered. "Thank you, Alfred that was lovely."

"Of course," Alfred responded graciously. "Now, tell me. How long has it been since I've left? Apparently time works differently in my world."

"It has been nine months," Francis said. 

Alfred felt sick. He went cold. He stopped breathing. Nine months. He'd expected it to be three, maybe four. But nine - Alfred was shocked. 

"You are very pale. Does that shock you?" Francis asked. 

"In my world, I was barely gone for two months."

Francis rose an eyebrow. "That is quite a stretch."

"I need to find Matthew quickly." Alfred said. 

"I will send word around to look for him," Francis said, his face slipping from its mask. He looked concerned. 

"Do you miss him?" Alfred asked. "Do you care about him? Really."

"Yes," Francis said earnestly. "Even if you do not believe me."

"Alright." Alfred said. "You write or whatever. The moment someone responds, I'm on the way. I'll get him, bring him back, and set out immediately for Spades. So you'd better have a ship ready."

"It will be done." Francis said. 

Only a few hours later, Alfred was called back to the throne room. 

"It turns out we did not even need to send out letters," Francis said, a small smile playing around his lips. "A note from Hearts has just arrived. It turns out that Matthew was found there, unconscious. Feliciano insisted that I should know of it right away."

Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. "So he's alright - I'm glad. Okay, I'll go over and get him."

Francis stood. "Ride over on one of my mares," he said. "But go gently. When you get to Hearts, you can come back on some of their horses. We'll swap back at a later date."

"Alright. I'm off. Thanks for letting me stay for a while."

"Of course," Francis replied. "It would be rude of me to refuse the king of Spades." Alfred flushed. 

The stables were clean and open air. The servants there welcomed him back and gave him a fine horse, saddled her up, and set him off. There was just one problem - Alfred didn't have a clue how to ride a horse. Matthew had taken lessons when they were younger, back when they lived together - but Alfred had never bothered to pay attention. He bit his lip. He was sitting on the horse a ways outside of the castle gates. They were meandering along, walking quite slowly. Alfred had no idea how to make his horse go faster. 

He experimentally snapped the reins, saying, "Yah!"

The horse broke out into a run, not full out but faster than before. Alfred supposed it would have to do. But it still took over four hours for the castle of Hearts to come into sight. By that time Alfred was sweaty and tired. He had taken off his shirt at one point and tucked it in a place where it wouldn't fall. 

He arrived in the stables as the sun began to set. The servants there accepted him without question, helping his sore body down to the ground. He nearly fell; his legs were trembling and unsteady. 

After a while, Alfred stood again and made his way up to the castle. The stars were coming out and the light was fading. For the first time, Alfred noticed that Cards had two moons.

Ludwig was waiting for him in the entrance hall. Kiku was there as well. 

"Alfred," Kiku said in surprise. "We did not know you had returned."

"I just came today, with Matthew," Alfred said. "But I didn't go through with him. He was supposed to end up in Diamonds and I would've ended up here. Sorry for the trouble. I have to bring Matthew back to Diamonds now."

"You will not be able to do that," Kiku said. "Your brother is still unconscious."

"Ugh," Alfred said. "He said he was out for a couple of weeks last time. I think it might be less time now. When I came though, the effects were less on me the second time. It should work the same for him."

But Alfred had forgotten the fact that everything that had happened to them so far had been opposite. In the end, it was over a month before Matthew woke up, wide eyed. It took him a while to understand where he was and what had happened. Alfred was with him every step of the way. 

But Alfred was getting impatient. It had been ten, nearly eleven months since Arthur had last seen him. He had no idea how sick his Queen was. He wanted to get to Arthur terribly. The ache to see him again was gnawing at his heart. 

Even after Matthew woke up, it took another week before he was ready to travel. It was strange, watching Matthew saddle up a horse in a medieval world while wearing a backpack. 

Of course, Matthew knew exactly how to get his horse started. He whispered sweet things in its ear and dug his heel into its side. He looked back, hair flying and eyes laughing, as Alfred's horse meandered along. He grumbled. 

Matthew slowed his horse and waited for Alfred to catch up. 

"Sit up straight," he said. "Get ready."

"For what?" Alfred asked, but Matthew had already slapped his horse, shouting "H'yah!"

The horse shot forward, Alfred holding on for dear life. A moment later Matthew was beside him, passing him. 

It took just over three hours to reach Diamonds. 

Matthew dismounted perfectly, even sick. Alfred nearly fell off of his horse. 

"Well we both know you'll be no good for the Calvary," Matthew giggled as Alfred rubbed his sore legs. 

"Shut up."

Matthew went straight to the throne room, but Francis wasn't there. No one was. 

"I don't know where else to look," Alfred said. 

"I do," Matthew said shyly. "I don't know that Francis would want you to see it."

It stung a bit. "Fine. I have to get back to Spades."

Matthew nodded in agreement. "Arthur needs you. Thank you for staying with me."

"Of course." Alfred said. "You're my brother."

He turned and left.

Francis did have a ship waiting for Alfred. They were ready to leave almost as soon as Alfred walked on deck. 

 

Transcriber note number three: Though the client appeared to be loosening up and revealing a few more details, nothing of great importance has come from it and I regret to inform you that another skip must be made.

 

When Alfred arrived in Spades, he realized: nobody there had a clue what had happened. He made his way up to the castle on an empty country road. It didn't lead to the main entrance. In fact, it led to a side door that Alfred had actually used before. Gripping the straps of his bag, Alfred tried the handle. It was open. 

The staircase was spiral. And very tall. It had always made Alfred dizzy and this time was no exception. After a while of climbing, he had to sit down and wait for the room to stop spinning. Then he continued. 

The staircase came out in a tower. Then it was more stairs and two more doors and Alfred was in the guest quarters. 

He stopped first in Yao's study, but Yao wasn't there. Neither was Arthur. He stopped by Arthur's rooms, then Yao's. He didn't see anyone. Not knowing where else to look, Alfred decided to wander around until he found someone. 

He found someone alright. In Arthur's balcony garden where he read and drank tea. At first he thought the shadow was some sort of servant - he was walking around slowly, watering the lines of plants. The shapes were a lot larger than they had been when Alfred had left. 

But then the figure turned and dropped his metal can and Alfred caught the scent of that familiar softness and Arthur was running at him and hit him full force. Arthur clung onto Alfred, hands making bunches in Alfred's shirt. Alfred's hands moved to Arthur's hair, his shoulders, his back. Alfred breathed him in, breath shaky. After a moment, he realized that Arthur was trembling as well. 

"Hey," Alfred said softly. "I'm back."

Arthur barked out a one-syllable laugh, shaking his head. "You're back. You're back. I didn't think you would come."

"I'm so sorry," Alfred said. "On earth, it had been just two months before I came back."

"Wow," Arthur said. Alfred could feel his warm breath on his neck. It made him shiver. 

They stood together for a long time, silhouettes melding in the darkness. 

~

They slept together that night, limbs tangled and filled with the scent of each other. At one point Arthur woke and slipped off to a separate room. He was so quiet that had Alfred not been awake, he wouldn't have realized that Arthur had gone until he came back. But Alfred followed him. He peeked through the sliver of open air between the door and the wall to see Arthur dry heaving over the sink. 

Arthur must have gotten past the fever stage then. He was really sick. Alfred would spend as much time as possible with him to help him recover.

In the morning, Arthur was gone when Alfred woke up. He had left a note:

Alfred,  
I went out to do chores. Yao isn't here, he is in Clubs. Let Li Xiao know that you are here, he will speed it on to the rest of the servants and it'll get around.   
I will see you soon.   
Arthur

Alfred didn't know where to find Li Xiao. He walked around, checking open doors, passing closed ones. He saw a couple of servants and they stared at him like he was an alien. 

Li Xiao was in the kitchens, the last place Alfred looked. When he saw who it was coming into the large room, he stared.

“Arthur told me that if you knew I was here pretty soon everyone would,” Alfred said. “So, I’m here.”

Li Xiao set his bowl down on the counter, shaking his head. “So you have returned. Forgive me if I say that no one believed you would.”

Alfred shrugged. “I didn’t know if I was going to at first. Earth is my home. But... Well, someone’s gotta take care of Matthew. He’s back here too. And I couldn’t leave Arthur hanging.”

Li Xiao shook his head. “Alright. Arthur is on his way to the town market, if you wanted to know.”

“Thanks,” Alfred said. He pushed open the door at the back of the kitchen and walked down the hill after Arthur.

The market was about ten minutes from the castle. It was crowded, it was noisy, and it was filled with an everyone-knows-everyone type of feel. Alfred felt somewhat out of place. Especially in his clothes from America.

Arthur was looking at packs of seeds, a basket of food in his arms. Somehow he knew Alfred was there before he heard him. He turned to see him with the smallest of smiles. 

“Hey, beautiful,” Alfred said, smiling. “What’re you looking at?”

Arthur stared at Alfred in disbelief. “Did you just call me beautiful?”

Alfred shrugged. “Just kind of slipped out. I could call you something else if you like.”

“How about ‘Arthur.’” he said, turning back to the stand and the eager eyed man behind it. “I’ll take three of these,” Arthur said. “And four more of the valley-cloves.”

“But of course, your highness,” the man said, eyes sparkling. “That’ll be fifteen kolekkos, please.”

Arthur dropped the money into the merchant’s hand and placed the seed packets carefully in his basket. Alfred followed as he turned and headed deeper into the market.

“That’s no fun,” Alfred complained. “Arthur is what everyone calls you. I’m special, right?”

Arthur stopped for a moment, turning to face him. “You seem to be much needier than I remember you, Alfred.”

They continued on.

After Arthur had picked up flour and sugar, which he forced Alfred to carry, they began walking back up to the castle.

“Are you here to stay this time?” Arthur asked quietly. 

“I think I am,” Alfred whispered. It was hard for him to say. “I’ll miss Earth. But I suppose every once in a while I might be able to go back...”

“Mmm,” Arthur said, but he looked somewhat happier.

“Arthur,” Alfred began. Then he hesitated.

“What is it?”

“When I was on Earth, before I came back? I met a person whose name was Alaric Beilschmidt. He told me that I should come back. He called himself an ace, Arthur.”

Arthur slowed, turned.

“What?”

“He said that he was Ludwig’s grandfather. He didn’t look old enough to be a grandfather.”

“You’re not joking.”

“I think he wanted to buy a donut.”

“That isn’t funny, Alfred!”

“It’s true!” Alfred exclaimed. “He said that he could travel between worlds. He was in Hearts visiting his other ace friend and then he decided to go up to the castle for the celebration and he saw me. And then when he saw me on Earth he kind of got mad and he told me that I needed to get back before it was too late.”

Arthur held his head in his hands. He couldn’t believe it - Aces were real? 

“What did he look like?” Arthur asked. “Who was the other ace?”

“Um... he look kind of like Ludwig, I guess. He had really long hair but he wasn’t a hippie. And he didn’t mention any names, but he said that the other ace lives in Hearts.”

Arthur’s heart stopped. “The ace lives in Cards?” he asked.

“Yeah. He has grandsons too. Except I don’t understand - Alaric said that the ace used to live with his grandsons. Does that mean he’s dead?”

Arthur shook his head. “I hope not. An ace in Hearts... This is huge.”

“Is it?” Alfred asked.

Arthur looked up at him. “Aces are legend.”

“Huh. How come I never learned about that?”

“We were focusing more on politics than folklore, Alfred,” Arthur said. “We should get back up to the castle.”

“I suppose.”

~

Alfred made a mistake. A huge one. A monstrumental one. And Arthur had no clue how to deal with it.

It had started off well enough - Alfred was sitting in a chair, Arthur was watering his plants and planting some new ones, pulling weeks, et cetera. But that wasn’t how it ended.

“I’m bored.”

“Oh, joy.”

Alfred was pouting. 

“How can you just sit there and pull at green things all day? I wouldn’t be able to tell a weed from a daffodil.”

Arthur looked up curiously. “What is a daffodil?”

"A flower," Alfred said, waving his hand dismissively. "Really though. I'm bored. We should do something."

Arthur rose an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Alfred shrugged. "I don't know."

Arthur turned back to his kikis. "Well, you think on that and I'll continue pulling at green things. Even though most of these are blue."

Alfred stood and took Arthur’s hand, making his skin tingle. He dragged Arthur away from his plants, looking down into his eyes. “We’re going to do something,” he said authoritatively.

“Okay,” Arthur said, hands trembling. “What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know.” Alfred said, straightening, beaming. “I was hoping that you would have an idea.”

“We could always go down and bake,” Arthur suggested, recovering from the bout of nerves.

“Excellent,” Alfred said. He grinned widely. “I’ve never been baking with you before. Shall we, darling?”

“If you quit the pet names, maybe.” Arthur grumbled.

The kitchen was clear when they got there. The next meal wasn’t for a few hours. Arthur brought out ingredients and tools and Alfred examined them all with gusto. 

“I’ve never baked in Cards before,” he said. “It’s different back on Earth.”

“Do you bake?” Arthur asked, surprised. 

“No.” was the simple response.

“Oh.”

Alfred made a mess. In the end, he was caked with more flour than they had used to bake the scones. Of course, Arthur was the one that had to sweep everything up while Alfred brushed himself off, sending even more flour onto the floor.

“Oh, Arthur -” Alfred called. Arthur looked up.

“Yes?”

Alfred walked forward, coming right up to him. “You’ve got -”

He reached forward slowly, eyes sliding away from Arthur’s. Arthur flinched slightly as Alfred’s fingers brushed his cheek, gently, carefully.

“Flour,” Alfred said, smiling. “Wonder how it got there.”

Arthur took a deep breath, feeling brave. “You’ve got some too.”

Alfred laughed. “I’m not surprised.”

“Here,” Arthur said. “I’ll...”

 

He reached up to Alfred. Softly, his fingers fluttering unsteadily, he brushed at the corner of Alfred’s mouth, where he had missed some flour. His eyes didn’t leave Alfred’s, as if caught in a trance. His eyes were so light and free...

Then Alfred made his mistake.

He leaned in (but gently, oh so carefully), eyes lowering, but still so bright and alert. His hand snaked around to the small of Arthur’s back, pulling him flush against his own body. Arthur’s breath hitched. His body practically melted, surrounded by Alfred, enveloped in his scent.

But when Alfred was just centimeters away, Arthur snapped out of it. He jumped backwards, terrified. He couldn’t kiss Alfred. His control had been so good until this one had come along - it was too much. Too much. Arthur shook his head, backing away.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. He couldn’t stop whispering it.

“It’s okay,” Alfred said, voice cracking. “That was stupid.”

Arthur felt like he had to explain. “I’m sorry, I just -”

“No,” Alfred interrupted. “Don’t. It’s fine. It’s okay. My mistake.”

He backed out of the kitchen. Arthur bit his lip.

Should he have let that all happen? He wasn’t sure. It had felt so good for a moment there. He had to talk to someone. He had to get this out of him or he would burst. Yao wasn’t here. Who else could he confide in?

A moment later he was blowing out the lamps, running down the hallways in search of Li Xiao.

He ran into Benjamin on the third floor. “Where’s Li Xiao?” he asked.

“In his room,” Benjamin called back. Arthur continued up to the fifth floor, darting around corners and avoiding other people narrowly.

“Li Xiao!” Arthur said, bursting through the door. The man was standing at the window.

“What is it, your highness?”

“I need your help,” Arthur gasped. He was out of shape after being sick for so long. “I - I...”

Arthur plopped down onto the bed. “Alfred just tried to kiss me.”

“Tried?” Li Xiao asked sharply. “Did he succeed?”

“No,” Arthur said miserably.

“Good,” Li Xiao said. He sounded satisfied. Arthur shook his head. That sounded all wrong. Maybe he wanted Alfred to kiss him...

"I do not know that... I do not think that it was good that he failed," Arthur said, hiding his face. 

"Oh," Li Xiao said. "Oh. Do you like him?"

"No!" Arthur snapped immediately. Then after a long, hard moment of silence, he slumped down. "Ye-hes," he admitted, drawing out the word with a whine. 

“Then why did you not kiss him?”

Arthur pulled away from Li Xiao’s piercing gaze, walking over to the window. “I do not know, I just - I was afraid, I guess. I don’t want to mate with anyone!”

Li Xiao came and took hold of Arthur’s shoulders, forcing him to look into his eyes. “Kissing does not equal mating. I have kissed girls other than my mate.”

Arthur blinked.

Kissing does not equal mating...

Was it really that simple?


	10. The Castle of Spades (pt 6)

Alfred felt unbelievably stupid. Arthur had specifically mentioned, several times even, that he had no interest in a relationship like that. But of course Alfred had misread the moment and gotten carried away. Now things would be so incredibly awkward... Why did he have to do that?

He was on the highest balcony, where strong winds blew at him incessantly. He could see all around. Forest behind, the town ahead. He could even see the harbor from here.

He wasn’t sure what to do. So he stood there, mulling over his mistakes, until the sun began to descend in the sky and the blue shifted to other colors. Then he went inside, welcomed by a flood of warmth. He didn’t go back to his rooms that evening. He found a locked room, pulled out his master key, and entered. It was an empty, dusty library, but there was a couch, and that was where Alfred slept that night.

He ate breakfast with a terribly sore body. Really it was more of a lunch, Alfred had slept so late. Arthur was gone again. 

He received a letter from Matthew, and another from Yao that he wasn't sure if he was supposed to open but Arthur wasn't there and so he just did. Yao was coming back from Clubs tomorrow. Ivan was doing well. So they were together. Still. Weird. 

Matthew was asking how Arthur was. He was quickly recovering with Francis. 

Alfred dropped the letters. He didn't want to think about his brother. 

Of course Francis let Matthew kiss him. The two were practically joined at the hip, both literally and figuratively. 

He was wandering around later that day, bored. He had determined that Arthur was actively avoiding him, and he didn't like it. There wasn't much for him to do. Back on Earth, there were sooo many forms of entertainment. He had no idea what people did for fun in Cards. 

He decided to go down to the town. The market was busy as usual. Alfred didn't have any money (how was that possible, he was a King), but he still had plenty of charm. He found a couple of girls and flirted with them to pass the time. It wasn't as fun as usual, though. Alfred would much rather be flirting with Arthur. 

Alfred spent most of the afternoon with Mei and Ty Lee. After a few hours of chatting and harmless flirting, Mei invited Alfred along with them for a drink. Curious to see what sorts of alcohol Cards had, Alfred agreed.

From behind, a hand came down on his shoulder and yanked him around sharply.

“You idiot! Where have you been?” Alfred found himself looking into the furious face of Arthur. He stumbled back into Mei, surprised. She stopped him from falling. 

“Arthur, I -”

“You know the Queen?” Ty Lee asked eagerly.

Arthur looked at him disgustedly. “Did you even tell them who you were?”

Alfred didn’t know how to respond. “I - um, I -”

“Of course not,” he said. “Because that’s completely fair to them.”

“Arthur, please, calm down -”

“Calm down? I have been looking for you for four hours, not knowing if you were dead or if you had left -” Arthur choked, quieting. Suddenly, Alfred understood.

“Have I really been gone that long?”

“Haven’t you been keeping track of time? I was going to have lunch with you but I couldn’t find you. I figured I’d wait a couple of hours and see if you’d show up but you didn’t and I couldn’t find you! Do you know how big that castle is? It takes over an hour to get through the whole thing! And I went through it three times, trying to find you! You never leave the castle, thank the aces Li Xiao suggested that you might be down here.” Arthur took a deep breath, looking prepared to rant for another hour at least, but then Alfred interrupted him. 

"Arthur, honestly I'm really sorry -"

Arthur didn't let him speak. "Don't even say anything. Aces..."

Alfred remained quiet. He decided to wait until Arthur calmed down. But he couldn't resist saying one more thing. He managed to put up a teasing tone.

"At least I wasn't making out with anyone when you found me. I think Mei and I were pretty close to that point."

Arthur glared. "I hate you so much."

Then he took two rough steps forward and grabbed Alfred's shirt. Before Alfred could react, Arthur's lips were on his and his own hands were in Arthur's hair. 

Just as suddenly, he was pulling away. "No one gets to kiss you but me. You hear?"

Dazed, Alfred nodded. 

"Okay," Arthur said, face reddening slightly. 

"Hey, Artie," Alfred said softly. "D'you think you could do that again?"

Arthur tried not to smile, but Alfred saw it. He stretched up on his tiptoes a bit and met Alfred's lips again, more gently this time. Alfred melted into it. He had to break away or risk losing control right there in front of everyone.

Arthur’s breath was a little shaky as he said, “Let’s go back to the castle. Have you eaten dinner?”

Alfred shook his head. 

"Great. I'll make us food."

Alfred paled considerably, filled with dread at the prospect. "Maybe we could do it together? Bonding time and all," he said, trying not to sound too worried. 

Arthur waved him off. "You deserve a break."

"You've been looking for me for hours and I've been slacking around the past week. I'll cook for you." Alfred insisted. 

Arthur shook his head. “Fine, I guess.”

Alfred looked around. Mei and Ty Lee were gone, presumably to flirt with more interesting persons than himself. People were milling about as usual. Some were watching them, some pointedly looking away. Alfred smiled, trying to hide it.

“Let’s go then,” he said. He slipped his little finger into Arthur’s and set off out of the market. For some reason, Arthur was holding back.

“Alfred?” Arthur asked. “The castle is that way.”

Alfred turned and began tugging Arthur in the opposite direction.

~

Arthur sat on the counter as Alfred whisked around making food. He had yet to introduce pizza to the Cardians, but he planned to try soon.

Who cared that he’d never made a pizza from scratch before?

In the meantime, Alfred was attempting to recreate a number of potato-including dishes. Most of them weren’t working.

“I’m sorry, Arthur,” he said after a while, sighing in frustration. “I can cook things pretty well back on Earth but I don’t know how to make them.”

“That is alright. How long does it take for your servants to make them?”

Alfred stared at Arthur. “I don’t have any servants.”

Arthur looked shocked. “None? Did you let them all go? Or are they your parent’s?”

Alfred shook his head, trying to erase the bitter look that crept onto his face. “I don’t get along with my parents very well,” he said. “But I’ve never had servants. No one does, not since the Civil War.”

Arthur scooted closer, eyes shining in curiosity. “Tell me about your world. What is it like without servants?”

Alfred leaned his head back, allowing Arthur to play with his hair. Arthur was gentle, almost as if he didn’t want Alfred to know what he was doing. Alfred smiled.

“People do everything for themselves, mostly,” he said. “But there are these huge factories, for all sorts of things, where some things are produced by the thousands. They go out into stores... stores are kind of like markets, but not exactly the same. And you can buy stuff at the stores. They sell food there, and forms of entertainment, and all sorts of things.”

“Wow,” Arthur said. “That is hard to comprehend. Does your world have four countries as well?”

“No,” Alfred said. “We have almost two hundred. Not counting the micronations.”

Arthur’s eyes widened. “Two hundred? Your world must be ginormagantuan!”

Alfred was taken aback by the word. “What?”

“Huge, monstrous, gigantic - big. No wonder you have created a way to fly. I still want that, by the way.”

“Oh!” Alfred said. “I forgot about this until now, but I brought some things back from Earth. I’ll show them to you later.”

“Alright,” Arthur said. “But still... two hundred countries... Can you name them all?”

Alfred laughed. “No way. But I know some of them."

"Where do you live?" Arthur asked. 

"I live in the United States of America. Good old U.S.A.," Alfred said fondly. 

"Is it near the sea?"

"I could try to draw you a map," Alfred offered. Arthur got him a pen and paper and Alfred sketched out a lame, lumpy approximation of his world. The world.

“It’s not very good,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But right there, that’s where I live. This is the U.S.A., and that’s New York City.”

Arthur examined the map as though it were a masterpiece by DaVinci. “It’s so complicated,” he said.

Alfred flushed. “It’s pretty misshapen and stuff, but...”

Arthur looked up at him, flushing slightly. “I think it’s amazing,” he said, before giving Alfred a small kiss on the cheek.

~

When Yao returned and found Alfred back on the throne, he ranted on, red faced, for a good hour before finally calming down. Even then, he was grumpy and reclusive all day. Not that he was ever anything but grumpy and reclusive.

All Alfred could think to say to him was:

“So how’s Ivan?”

Yao refused to talk about it.

Arthur explained things to him after. “Yao hasn’t exactly forgiven Ivan for starting a war, even though he’s secretly flattered. He goes to Clubs because he needs to, but those two are still struggling. And I think a part of his animosity towards you stems from that. You hurt me like Ivan hurt him and he doesn’t think that I should have accepted you back as easily as I did.”

Alfred winced at that. He didn’t like being reminded of how he had hurt Arthur while he had been away, however unintentionally.

Things went mostly back to normal. Yao swooped around the place as he always did, Arthur guided Alfred on the path of becoming a King. On the nights when Alfred started missing home, Arthur would comfort him. Arthur’s little garden flourished. The kingdom flourished. Alfred began training again. There were diplomatic meetings. It was stressful, but Alfred had never been happier.

Matthew and him hadn’t seen each other since they’d returned. Alfred would never admit it, but he missed his little bro.

Of course, Li Xiao caught wind of this somehow, and when Li Xiao knew something, eventually everyone knew.

Arthur came to him waving a folded page in his face and after Alfred stepped back enough to read it, he saw:

Lovely to hear from you, Arthur  
I suppose if he wishes to come over it is no problem with me. It may have to be quick however, as I am planning to host a private party soon and the two of you will, of course, not be invited.   
Love, Francis  
Oh, and please stop addressing me as “The frog.” It doesn’t boost my PR.

 

“Huh,” Alfred said. “What’s this about?”

“You wanted to see Matthew, right? Well, I got you an opening,” Arthur said. “But the ship leaves in three hours so you’d better hurry.”

Alfred grumbled. “Ships again. Maybe I will let you attempt to recreate an airplane.”

He didn’t mean it. He liked how Cards was different from Earth and he wanted it to stay that way.

Except for the food. Alfred would not be able to live without french fries.

He went to Diamonds alone.

It probably wasn’t a good idea. There was no one to hold him back when he discovered the news.

He should have been expecting it, really, but he just kept pushing the possibility out of his brain. Until that day.

When he arrived in Diamonds, he was tired and sore from sitting on the wood all day - so you can hardly blame him for what happened.

When Matthew came out to greet him, he was wearing a soft smile on his face, but Alfred didn’t look there. He focused on the scent that was filling his head. Matthew’s scent was incredibly potent.

And it smelled faintly of roses.

“FRANCIS!” Alfred screamed. “I AM GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF OF YOUR MISERABLE, PERVISH BODY! WHERE ARE YOU?”

Ignoring Matthew’s frantic, pleading attempts to calm him down, Alfred stormed into the dining hall, where Francis himself was conversing with Lili.

“FRANCIS BONNEFOY GET YOUR STUPID SELF OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!”

Vasch appeared from a corner where Alfred hadn’t noticed him and stepped forward. “Alfred, if you continue to threaten my King I will have you thrown in a cell,” he said darkly.

“HE POISONED MY BROTHER!”

“Alfred!” Matthew pleaded. Alfred ignored him. He was raging mad. How dare Francis touch his baby brother like that?

“That is it!” Vasch exclaimed. He stepped forward as if to hit Alfred, but Lili called out on his behalf. 

“Vasch, sit down. Alfred, if you cannot calm down you will have to leave here.”

Alfred scowled, clenching his jaw. “I’ll leave if you don’t ever touch Mattie again.”

“Alfred, it’s not like he is some random rapist on the street,” Matthew said soothingly. “I am okay with it.” 

Alfred looked at his brother. His face was red.

“You’re okay with it?” he asked quietly. Alfred didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t want to lose his brother.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) Matthew saw right through him.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Just because I am Francis’s... Francis’s mate, now, doesn’t mean I cannot see you.”

Alfred looked away, the embarrassment beginning to set in.

“I - I’ll just be going,” he mumbled, quickly fleeing the room. He had made a fool of himself, again.

But it wasn’t completely his fault, right? It was Francis’s fault for being so manipulative and stupid -

Alfred was starting to understand Arthur’s view on the King of Diamonds.

But he was going to be there for another two days, so there wasn’t any reason to waste time not seeing Matthew. 

He spent as much time as possible with his brother. He seemed a bit more confident now, talked just a bit louder than before. He seemed happier. Alfred was both proud and sad about how his brother had developed. He didn’t need Alfred as much anymore.

He went back to Spades with a promise of another visit, soon.

Arthur was waiting for him, in his little garden. He was waiting with a floppy hat and a small smile.

And as Alfred took Arthur in his arms, tipping back that cute brim of the sunhat?

He felt it.

He was home.


End file.
